Things You Didn't Know Are Actually American
- mannkarissa
- Jul 26
- 3 min read
Did you know that croissants were actually invented in Austria? Or that the Panama hat is really from Ecuador? Somewhere along the vast, winding road of history, the origins of things from everyday staples to the most revolutionary types of technology have been forgotten. During the month of Independence Day, we should take a moment to look around and appreciate what the pioneers of America created, whether or not they are commonly associated with one another.
Chocolate Chip Cookies
These warm, delicious sweets were introduced as a delicacy to the world by Ruth Wakefield in 1938 in Whitman, Massachusetts. Wakefield was a dietician and food lecturer who accidentally created the globally famous dessert while whipping together a batch of chocolate cookies for guests at the Toll House Inn she co-owned. Somewhere during the recipe, she realized she was out of the baker's chocolate the instructions called for. In a rush to please her hungry patrons, Ruth threw in a chopped-up semisweet chocolate bar, expecting it to melt while in the oven. Instead, the bits remained solid, creating the simple yet scrumptious cookie we enjoy almost a century later.
Traffic Lights
This simple system of "go, slow, stop" changed how people around the world travel and revolutionized safety on the road. In 1912, in Salt Lake City, Utah, Lester F. Wire created the first modern traffic light while he was working as a police officer and realized just how rowdy and unsafe the crowded streets of the state's capital were. The invention of the automobile was growing wildly in popularity, which called for a more organized system of how to manage them. Wire designed a signal that consisted of one green and one red lightbulb in a wooden box placed on a pole. Police officers would manually flip a switch to swap the lights, and a loud buzzer would sound to alert drivers of the change. The invention was extraordinary and was soon adopted in varying models around the country and then the world. Later, more contributors like Garrett Morgan and James Hoge made significant advancements to the device, allowing it to be hand-cranked and eventually automatic. So, the next time you're staring at the red glow of a traffic light taunting you, take a moment to appreciate the bright minds who helped create the efficient road system we follow daily.
Toilet Paper
Throughout history, people have used all sorts of methods, from communal sponges to leaves and rocks, to clean themselves after using the bathroom. Thankfully, one man spared us the unsanitary struggle of "using whatever is around" when he created the first modern, commercially available toilet paper in 1857 in New York. John Gayetty called his invention, "Medicated Paper, for the Water Closet," and sold 500 sheets for just 50 cents. The paper was sold loosely, not rolled, and did not become popular until a decade later, when a larger business, Scott Paper Company, began producing it. But the version of toilet paper most commonly used today wasn't created until 1891, when Seth Wheeler patented the "laundry roll," which allowed consumers to hang the paper on a wall. Though it took decades for modern toilet paper to stop being considered a luxury and instead as a necessity, today we can't imagine what it would be like if Gayetty hadn't gotten the ball rolling.
So, Why Should I Care?
It's important to recognize how often we take small things for granted and ignore the hard work that was dedicated to create them. Every single thing we own has a history originating from all over the globe, and if we can learn that history, then we can appreciate it more. Culture comes in all different shapes and sizes and is uplifted by the endless years that molded it. If we can understand the cultures each of us values and the details that beautify them, then perhaps we can understand each other better as well!
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