What have the Americans ever done for us?

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netizens

Apart from Coco Coala, Rock'n'Roll, Root Biomechanics and the atom bomb, what have the Americans ever done for us?

Well try the Easter Bunny.

:morning:
To the pagans hares (and rabbits) were symbols of life and fertility because there was a plentiful source of food. During the spring months both became a focal reminder of procreation. By the 1600s the rabbit had become more associated with Easter festivities and was a custom known and practiced in Germany. The first edible Easter Bunnies were made in Germany during the early 1800s and were made of pastry and sugar. The Easter Bunny was introduced to America in the 1700s by German settlers to Pennsylvania Dutch country. The Easter Bunny or Osterhase (pronounced in the dialect of the region Oschter Haws) was a major figure in the calendar of children and his arrival on the day before Easter would equate to the arrival of Christkindl (Kris Kindle) on Christmas Eve. Many of the old myths were described in the writings of fairy tails which became popular in the 19th century. In legend, the Easter Bunny brought baskets full of coloured eggs to the homes of good children on the night before Easter. The Easter Bunny would either put the baskets in a designated place or hide them somewhere in the house for the children to find when they wake up in the morning. As a variation children started to build nest for the magical birds that laid the eggs. The children used their hats and bonnets and the nest were usually in out of the way places on the farm. Fearing the loss of expensive clothing the frugal parents sought out the nests and filled them with coloured eggs. Somehow the roles were reversed and parents hid the eggs so as the children would take pleasure in finding them. As the custom spread throughout the 18th century the nests became Easter Baskets. Until the 18th century the term ‘cony’ (pronounced cunny) was used to describe adult rabbits, and rabbit was the preferred name for young rabbits. Cony Island for example was inhabited by many rabbits but “Cunny” was an Old English colloquialism for female genitalia and so during the century 'cunny' became polite speak 'bunny', and hence the Easter Bunny.
There does not appear to be any attempt to infer the rabbits laid the eggs but the symbolic combination of eggs for fertility; and rabbits for procreation were enough. No one can be sure why the eggs had to be coloured but certain colours such as red and green were symbolic of life and growth respectively.

Eggs were traditonally not eaten during Lent (the fast kept by Catholic prior to Easter) so it may be eating brightly coloured eggs may have had some celebratory significance to devotees. Certainly in agricultural societies by the end of Lent there would be an excess of eggs to eat. Hence a ceremony of eating eggs would seem perfectly natural. It has also been suggested endulging in colourful egg eating during this time may have been a Protestant preoccupation.

Happy holiday season

:drinks

toeslayer

 

Cameron:

Now, now.....let's give the United States a little more credit for all it has introduced into the world in its relatively short time span. I thought you could, Cameron, do a little better than the few you mentioned above.

Maybe you should have considered, instead of the "Easter Bunny", some slightly more useful things that most of us could not "live without" such as radio transmission, the assembly line, air conditioning, the airplane, the transistor, the personal computer, the internet protocol/TCP and the mobile phone.

Here is a more comprehensive list of inventions from the United States of America.

Timeline of United States Inventions

 

Dear colleagues,

I Googled 'patriotism'

The USA featured for pages:

http://www.usa-patriotism.com/
http://www.patriotism.org/

http://www.museumofpatriotism.org/About/index.html

Hoping to recalibrate the scale I again Googled including UK in the search:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/education/article3285615.ece

I have also included in my search an A-Z of British inventors: http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/bl_british_inventors.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_inventions_and_discoveries
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scottish_inventions_and_discoveries
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welsh_inventions_and_discoveries
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_inventions_and_discoveries

I am always in awe of American patriotism. :drinks

Only my opinion. I wish the UK could take a leaf out of Americans ability to love their country.

Best regards,

Mandy.

 

Here is a more comprehensive list of inventions from the United States of America.

Timeline of United States Inventions

I LOVE THAT!

Hey, the very fact that ANYONE could possibly ask what a country only a bit over 230 years old "has given US" says it all.

Let's not forget Michael Jackson, McDonald's, Pizza Hut, Muscle cars, Victoria Secrets, interstate travel, Sweetest Day, Wal-Mart, Harley-Davidson, Wall Street, Hollywood, Saturday Night Live, Cell phones, Power lunch, Seinfeld, M&Ms, teflon and - most importantly - The AUSTIN BUNIONECTOMY!!!!!!! (and for you MIS guys...the Shannon #44!)

Steve

 

Hi
Tinned pineapple, Oranges, Cowboys and Indians, Gangsters, Bubble gum,TV adverts Levi jeans,CB radio, Marylin Monroe, ‘I have a dream..... , ‘Ask not what...., ‘Ich bin ein..., , One small step...,
In fact The USA shaped my whole life. God Bless it.
Chris

 

Here are some more of my favorite inventions from the good ol' United States of America:

Global positioning satellites (GPS)
Graphical user interface
In-line skates
Magnetic resonance imaging
Goretex
Digital camera
PET scanner
E-mail
Microprocessor
Laser printer
Compact disk
Kevlar
Light emitting diode (LED)
Spandex
Windsurfing
Hair spray
Nylon
Fiberglass
Automatic transmission
Paper towel
Drinking straw
Telephone
Jeans
Paper bag
Safety pin
Lightning rod

What have the Americans ever done for you??

 

netizens



toeslayer

 

LOL! Great thread.

Now, lets see, what have the English invented...

How about, THE US!

Good days work there.

Actually I'm not sure we should be thanking you for a few of the things on that list! And i suspect that interstate travel was there when you got there! (unless the injuns stayed within state boundries

R

 

Two things I use every single day of my life and would struggle to survive without... Google and my iPhone

God bless America

Ian

 

Kevin has given us a great list of popular and useful US imports/inventions, but please could you take back those tacky, trashy Hollywoodesque teenage soaps?

My niece is now talking with an American accent

 

"My niece is now talking with an American accent"

Wassup wit dat? aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa, 'scuse me?????
WE don't have an accent, YOU do.

 

With you there! I'm a liberal parent. I watched 300 with my 2 year old the other day, (history AND basic anatomy). But Dora the Explorer will be watched in my house only over my cold dead corpse! I will NOT have my daughter growing up thinking that everybody shouts conversations in staccato non sequiters.

LOL, Not until you guys learn to stop trying to mash the word Aluminum into 4 syllables .

Say it with me guys. "Al_U_MIN_I_UM foil. Not Al_u_mi_num foil.

Or, for preference, "tin"

Regards
Robert

 

Gosh! My dear Mr. Isaacs,

Is that the borders of passport control I hear closing to UK visitors in the US? :bash:

One hopes ones darlings never wish to visit Disney US. . (NB. Other mouses are available)

One may well find there will be no high tea or indeed tiffin.

Blackpool or indeed Clacton on Sea for you m'dear........:empathy:

 

Accent?

Thay costner spayk lark may yuth:wacko:

The two words my niece floors me with are

1; Warder (water)
2; Mobull (mobile phone):bang:

Yours in good spirits


Peter

 

Robert:

Always enjoy your posts, by the way.

The differences in spelling and pronunciation of words of the English speaking countries is complicated and full of history, if one wants to explore it.

Here is an interesting history of the differences between the words aluminum and aluminium .

 

One of the most embarrassing differences that I have experienced in my use of American English in the UK, Australia and New Zealand comes from my use of what you all call a "Bum Bag". Here is what we call the same waist-strap bag in the United States.

 

Marge Simpson keeps talking about her fanny in the Simpsons, puts me right off me tea it does.

BTW the most loveliest accent I ever heard ( after the scandinavians talking English) was a Californian woman on the 1st series of "Not going Out", a rather moderate comedy with a sassy lass and a lad called Lee Mack, who could be Simon Spooners stunt Double!

 

Kevin,

You missed out "tinned pineapple" and chicken wings, from Hooters, of course.

Shame on you Sir, for neglecting these 2 important items.

..........and you call yourself a patriot.

Regards,

Nick Curry