British Couple Reacts to 50 Fascinating Facts About the USA That You Never Knew

[@dangerousdavescott]

The Wright Brothers lived in Dayton, Ohio and that's where they built their plane and conducted tests, but the first official actual flights were conducted on the beach on North Carolina. That's why both Ohio and North Carolina lay claim to be the birthplace of flying.

[@phukyerpheefees]

NC used to have "First in Flight" on its license plates, but now has "First in Freedom" to celebrate the Halifax Resolves. Ohio has "Birthplace of Aviation."

[@sector986]

Dayton is also where the air and space museum is. Highly recommend going

[@tmoz1228]

You can still get first in flight in NC! I recently got a new first in flight tag because they were out of in God we trust ones!

[@throneborn]

​@@sector986 agree. Been there a few times.

[@mortensen1961]

Another fun fact about the Wright Bros. They invented the left-hand thread. . .

[@karlsmith2570]

7:24 James, I believe that the source of your confusion is that the Wright Brothers were from Ohio, but their historic first flight of their plane took place in North Carolina

[@alysonbowler9040]

This! They built the plane in Ohio, I believe. (North Carolinian here - we're for sure the "First in Flight" state. They take that shit seriously here. Lololol)

[@WGGplant]

Drive in theaters are still a thing, yes. it's not as big as it once was, but there are still plenty of drive ins in the US. I used to go to one when I was visiting my dad in west Alabama

[@CLEO99087]

Drive-ins started to come back during the Covid thing. I hope they stay

[@christyann2755]

We have one in my town in Florida and it's always busy on weekends. We have a girl scout camp our night there once a year where girls come from all over Florida. It's gone through a lot of management and changes before it revived but it was a staple in my child hood. It was at one point one of the last few in the us. We had articles written about it.

[@billbrasky1288]

Americans would only use the word lift when being cheeky about Brits. We don’t really use the word cheeky very much either. Unless we’re being cheeky.

[@brianormonde2175]

Drive-in theaters aren't as common as they used to be in the U.S., but they're still around. You may just have to drive a little further to get to one

[@StevePaur-hf4vy]

Medicine in America is an always evolving practice. A lot of procedures in the 1960's and 1970's required a hospital stay. I had my appendix out and it was a 3 day hospital stay. Today it's just overnight. A broken leg was a day or two stay but today it's not even an overnight stay.

[@NolmDirtyDan]

Its a legal town, the mayor is the only resident, and she owns a bar there

[@christianlong-lo3jm]

How does she get customers if she's the only one

[@spinalobifida]

Probably passerbys

[@Aboz]

​@@christianlong-lo3jm Area farmers.

[@christianlong-lo3jm]

@@Aboz she's probably some millionaire that wanted to get away from the modern world and live on a farm in the middle of nowhere and somehow it got named a town

[@Zundfolge]

Actually there are several tiny towns across the US with populations of "1" or "2". Most of these "towns" are just Post Offices that were built in the middle of nowhere to serve the rural area but they get designated as "towns" for the purpose of addressing.

[@rbottomley]

But if you listened to the video, the guy said that this town was actually incorporated. So it was not one of those unofficial towns. This one had self-rule. So that one guy could make his own laws vs. the unincorporated areas which are under county rule.

[@tosweet68]

There are hundreds, if not thousands, of towns in the US without grocery stores, schools and things like that. People just have to drive to other nearby cities for those type of things.

[@susanlistman439]

That is the definition of a bedroom community, no grocery store in town. Great places to grow up!

[@allenhill1223]

Yes I know in kansas and mission I have family in both who both farm and they have to drive atleast 30 miles or more to a super market. Funny town name tightwad missouri. Good one Millie how do you know how big snow flake is???

[@allenhill1223]

Kansas and mission super market's are far from the farm

[@lisakaren69]

Yes I moved to a small town in North Dakota. Nearest grocery store is 11 miles away and is tiny. Nearest big supermarket (which has much better prices) is about 45 miles away.

[@StevePaur-hf4vy]

In America an elevator (lift) is the device that transports you straight up and down between multiple floors. Usually found in tall buildings. An escalator is a moving staircase that usually elevates or descends a person an incline like a set of stairs and is usually only used between one floor.

[@alysonbowler9040]

Yep, not to be confused with moving walkways, which don't have steps.

[@dreamweaver8913]

According to US News and World Report, there are only 300 drive-in theaters left in the US. As a kid back in the 60s, there were 5 that I can remember in my area, but now, only 1 remains. and is still operational.

[@briankirchhoefer]

Antarctica snows very little. It is considered a desert covered in ice.

[@yesh3]

The small mining town of Centralia, Pennsylvania, has had a coal fire burning underground since 1962. Most everyone has moved since then because they can't put it out and it's toxic. Someone has made a documentary about it.

[@phukyerpheefees]

Interesting fact about escalators: Escalator was originally a brand name manufacturer of what was then known as moving stairs. Other companies began selling their brand of escalator and Escalator failed to protect their trademark, so they lost it.

[@zillatattoo]

and if they break, they become...stairs, sorry for the convenience .

[@phukyerpheefees]

@@zillatattoo Nice Mitch Hedberg reference.

[@williamhogge5549]

Why aren't there Escalators and De-escalators?

[@davidcosta2244]

@@zillatattoo It's funny though, that a broken escalator is usually roped off so nobody is allowed to walk up it. Makes no practical sense.

[@NanaRae2Three]

The Wright Brothers were from Dayton, Ohio but their first flight was in North Carolina.

[@tracycartwright3340]

I used to go to Nothing, Arizona quite often. It had a population of 4 LOL. Not sure if it still has residents since there was a big fire there.

[@spinalobifida]

In 2011, the last resident left according to Google

[@tracycartwright3340]

@@spinalobifida thanks!!

[@runrafarunthebestintheworld]

@@spinalobifida LoL that's just funny. 😅

[@davidmarquardt9034]

In the 50's in Texas there was a town called Earth.

[@ElizabethRoss-uj8rl]

Yes, Napoleon sold the immense tract for very little money. We call it the "Louisiana Purchase". The French influence also comes from immigration of French Canadian residents to Louisiana -- called the Cajuns. They are famous for cuisine, chefs, and peppery-hot recipes.

[@ricksharpe6895]

The Wright brothers were from Dayton, Ohio but they went to NC for the first flight because of the winds.

[@hopegeoghegan4184]

North Carolinas motto is First in Flight

[@michaelsmith-iu1be]

@@hopegeoghegan4184 Otherwise Wright Bros. had no connection to North Carolina. All the history and their burial is in Dayton. So your welcome.

[@mayortr42]

Nearby Intercourse, Pennsylvania, are also towns named “Blueball” and “Bird-In-Hand”.

[@NovaWolf-qi6zn]

Texas has an extremely well kept and developed drive in movie theater, which is still popular, called Stars and Stripes. It has a large building specifically for ordering theater food, snacks, and drinks and has a patio with indoor and outdoor eating areas, a playground, and several lots with screens

[@zillatattoo]

they also value guns more than kids' lives.

[@LuisRodriguez-ny2qb]

​@@zillatattoo you obviously ain't from Texas, you should keep your opinions to yourself If they're all that ignorant

[@LadyBeyondTheWall]

@@zillatattoo Always one of you shoving your political opinions in comment sections that have absolutely nothing to do with what people are talking about. Not only THAT, but you do it while generalizing people from a state bigger than a lot of actual countries. No one cares about your uninspired, repeated like a parrot, opinions on politics when people are talking about gd drive in movie theaters. Good god. Get a hobby or something, maybe it'll help you not be so hateful that you have to go around doing this BS.

[@williamhogge5549]

Still a few in Indiana too.

[@Sam62254]

FYI, guys... our time zones in the contiguous states (vs London time) are: Eastern (-5 hrs), Central (-6 hrs), Mountain (-7 hrs), and Pacific (-8hrs).

[@quinn-tessential3232]

My favorite is Newfoundland Time (-6.5 hrs). It's a half hour east of Atlantic Time. Oh, and on the topic of Newfoundland, the correct pronunciation is NEW-fin-LAND (rhymes with understand), not new-FIN-lind. Most everyone pronounces it incorrectly.

[@26algiz]

It's weird how Millie argues every fact that disagrees with what she thinks.

[@TylerLarew]

NYC was the first capital of the US AFTER the constitution was ratified. It is where George Washington was sworn into office. Before this, Philadelphia was the meeting place of the continental congress during the revolutionary war, Philadelphia is also where the constitution was conceived: technically giving Philadelphia the right to the claim of the first capital of the US.

[@lisakaren69]

There is also a town called Blue Ball Pennsylvania, which is right near Interourse

[@danas3765]

Not far from me I think. There's Paradise too.

[@lisakaren69]

@@danas3765 there is also a Bird in Hand as well

[@danas3765]

@@lisakaren69 yea, I've heard of that one too.

[@Meg0307]

When it comes to snowflakes, generally the colder the weather the smaller and harder the snowflakes. Bitter cold weather turns snow flakes into tiny ice bits... But when the temperature is closer to the freezing point that's when snowflakes are usually the biggest as the air water dropplets melt, combine and refreeze to create bigger, fluffier flakes. So going to colder places doesn't mean bigger snowflakes. Living in Wisconsin, I've seen every kind of snow.

[@twenty3enigma]

Drive-in theaters were a huge thing from the 1950s until gradually becoming more and more rare over time. There are still a few around the U.S., though.

[@briankirchhoefer]

I have 2 close to me in Illinois. They close during winter though.

[@twenty3enigma]

@@briankirchhoefer And there are a few out here in California.

[@theblackbear211]

Actually, really large snowflakes happen when they temperature is just below freezing... so really cold places are less likely to have large snowflakes.

[@alexaneals8194]

I would doubt that either north or south pole would have large snowflakes, since the colder the temperature the smaller the snowflakes are. Generally, the closer you get to freezing temperature the bigger the flakes.

[@mayortr42]

NYC was the first US capital after the Constitution was ratified, making it I suppose the first official capital, but the capital prior to that was Philadelphia.

[@zig_zag____1265]

In my state of Maine there's 3 drive-ins that I'm aware of. One is only 15 minutes the other is half hour away and the 3rd one is about an hour away. This is rare compared to other states though.

[@melenedezssss]

The first mugging in NYC occurred on the first day the subway system was open to the public.

[@kevinwallis2194]

There are a few towns that are almost ghost towns where most people moved out and have only a few people left in them.

[@runrafarunthebestintheworld]

Yep I just recently found out there's a place in Arizona called Tortilla Flat an it only has 6 people and the Mayor got all 6 votes. 😅

[@UncleT84]

I'm from Northern Illinois and I have a drive-in that is still playing movies about 10 miles away. My friends/family and I try to go at least once a year when they do dusk til dawn movie marathon.

[@donaldpicard7752]

it absolutely is a town, the mayer is also the librariaen and the cook at the only restaurant. you should do a video on it its fascinating

[@zillatattoo]

john mayer?

[@thomasmacdiarmid8251]

What's sad is that he had to go through a run-off in the election, (jk)

[@shadowkissed2370]

Yes there is a town in Pennsylvania called Intercourse and Blue Ball Road goes through it.

[@funnyusername8635]

The closest theater to my house is a seasonal drive in. Various businesses and community groups sponsor particular showings. You don't need to stay in your car, blankets and lawn chairs are welcome in the picnic area and the kids activity area has outdoor games and sometimes jugglers, clowns or face painting. Way better than a trip to the popcorn stadium!

[@StevePaur-hf4vy]

Drive-ins were part of the American landscape and were most popular in the 1950's and 1960's. The movies that were shown at drive-ins were usually what we call B movies. They were movies that weren't good enough for regular theaters. People did not go to the drive-in for the movie though. Drive-ins were popular among the younger crowd of the day because of the relative privacy you had in yours or your parent's car. Most high school kids had their first sexual experience in the backseat of the car at the drive-in. You were usually charged an admission for each person in the car which lead to the trend of sneaking people in by hiding them in the trunk of your car.

[@NolmDirtyDan]

The first flight was definitely in North Carolina

[@williamstevenson8518]

There are still drive-ins. Not as many as there used to be. But they're around. I live in Albany, NY. There are at least three drive-ins that I can think of within reasonable distance. They're fun. It's like paying for one movie and getting to see two. And you can sit in your car, or on a lawn chair, and smoke pot while watching the movie. It can get chilly, though. And watch out for the mosquitos.

[@adriannecote5319]

The first heart transplant and the first heart/lung transplant were done at Stanford University Hospital. I later worked there in the 1980s and cared for those patients after they had their transplants. We also cared for patients who had artificial hearts as a bridge to human heart transplants. Shumway was still there in the 80s. Left after being a accused (rightfully so) of sexual harassment.

[@mermaid1717]

My father has had a bilateral lung transplant performed at Duke.

[@melenedezssss]

Though the Statue of Liberty is claimed by New York, it's more visible from New Jersey because it's closer to NJ than NYC.

[@prezac7]

The town of Monowi Nebraska does have 1 resident. She is the mayor, and as such grants herself a liquor license for the bar that she runs in town. There is also a public libary. There are plenty of news stories and articles about the town and the mayor.

[@Sam62254]

The Wright Brothers were FROM Ohio, but the flight was on North Carolina's Outer Banks (Kill Devil Hills, NC). The monument and museum is there.

[@yugioht42]

The original wright flyer is at the Smithsonian Institution up in Washington DC at the air and space museum. Replicas were made and one ended up at the National aviation museum in Ohio. Mostly the replicas are fake pieces designed to look original but aren’t actually able to fly. There is a replica down here in Orlando to show the history of flight. You can tell replicas by the material they used as the original used a type of balsa wood but the replicas are of heavier woods that are meant to be hung up or put on something as a platform.

[@jessicamorrell4713]

There's a lot of great things and loving people in America. I'm proud of that. The flip side is that bullies and hate are really loud here in America currently.

[@aspidistraeliator]

To be a town in the USA all that is required is a post office

[@lindajamroz]

😂 he did say some of you may or may not know. LOL of course you knew Alaska was our biggest state. Did you know what the interior state with the most coastline is😮? Michigan, my home😊. Other than the Niagara we also have the largest waterfall this side of the Mississippi river

[@TheLwaller09]

Ohio is "The Birthplace of Aviation" since that's where the Wright Brothers were from. It says that on our license plates lol

[@coreysimon3646]

We have an old drive-in theater about 7 miles from my home. It is packed from late April until the weekend after Halloween. It also has 2 screens and is a large draw for families for many miles around.

[@mikeg.4211]

Well done! This was very entertaining! A few clarifying points: 1) I've never heard anyone suggest that the first flight was in Ohio. I think you must have misremembered it; 2) The first "true" McDonald's as a corporation owned business (established by Ray Kroc after he purchased the name from the original brother owners) was built in the Chicago suburbs. The original building of it still exists as a tourist destination. It's pretty cool; 3) We all call them escalators 4) a few drive-in theaters still exist here and there, but it's not nearly as huge a thing as in the 50's and 60's. Also, happy belated birthday, Millie!

[@alysonbowler9040]

As a teenager in the 90s in New Hampshire, we still had a few local drive-in theaters. We definitely thought we hit the jackpot when my parents got me an old station wagon at 16 years old, and we could pile 8 people into it (or more, without seat belts) and go to the drive-in for the "per car" price. One of those drive-ins is still open!! But yeah, they're kind of a relic in the US at this point.

[@mikeg.4211]

@@alysonbowler9040 😊👍

[@yugioht42]

The drive in movie theater came back a bit during the pandemic but disappeared again. My neighborhood did one just to break up the lockdown for a night. Except we stayed in our cars and used the radio for sound.

[@fsujavi16]

that’s how a normal drive in usually works too i think

[@RebelCowboysRVs]

@@fsujavi16 I have two near me built in the early to mid 2000s, they both use your radio for sound. The ones from the 50s had underground wiring feeding speakers on poles you could hang on your window.

[@fsujavi16]

@@RebelCowboysRVs the one by me is from 1947 but they stopped being a drive in in the early 90s. Then they reopened again a few years before the pandemic started. It’s possible they got the sound through the car radio only more recently.

[@scottstuerke4560]

They had a pigs heart in a man. It was big news here. I think he lived for about 5 years

[@phoenixmichaels]

Drive-in theaters are mostly gone. My town of around 100,000 people (population in the 60's and 70's) had 7 or 8 of them. All gone. Too bad, it's still the best way to see a movie and be with friends/family.

[@kimberlys8422]

I saw an episode of "The Sopranos" when the Italian Americans got mad about Columbus Day; we're named after Amerigo Vespucci who discovered the Americas all on his lonesome being from Italy

[@aspidistraeliator]

I live less than a mile from a drive-in theater, it is the one where they filmed the mover Twister

[@terriehumphries6028]

Drive ins Theaters still exist, but they are more nostalgic than anything. They are few and far between.

[@bibles1234]

Betsy Ross didn't actually sew the first flag, she was given credit but she didn't do it.

[@mer8795]

Apparently, there are still over 300 drive-in theaters in USA.

[@marieneu264]

13:28 that’s why Louisiana has such a mixed French cuisine and interesting accent and language!

[@philwithcheese]

The wright brothers weren't actually the first powered flight. The first was actually on August 14, 1901 by Gustave Whitehead in Connecticut. It was widely reported on at the time, but the Wright brothers weren't immigrants and thus got official credit.

[@walterlaing2804]

1967 saw the first successful human heart transplant anywhere in the world. That patient, Louis Washkansky, 53, was terminally ill with heart failure. His surgeon at Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town, South Africa was Christiaan Barnard. The donor, Denise Darvall, was just 25.

[@libertarianguy5567]

1967 was not the dark ages. We had already put a man in space 6 years earlier. We had hospitals and all that Jazz.

[@Jodi_W]

What Cheer, Iowa is an inhabited town. I don't know where he got the info that it's just boarded up buildings. You can do street view on Google and see there are houses and businesses. Granted, it's a small town (~600 population) but far from being 'nothing' or all boarded up. In fact, the county fairgrounds are located there. He messes up on that one.

[@peterdemoose8088]

USA it is always elevator. Lift is your side of the pond.

[@FJA---]

Nebraska has a population of about 1,970,000 people. The Lincoln and Omaha (LinOma) metro area has a population of about 1,315,000. Once you get west of Lincoln it thins out pretty fast. And when you get to the mid and western part of the state there isn't much out there. Lived there for 45 years until I moved back east when I retired.

[@billbrasky1288]

Drive-Ins were pretty much gone by the time I was born 40 years ago. They used to be very popular.

[@davidmarquardt9034]

Texas is 1/5th the size of the continental US. Alaska is 1/3rd, so it would fit 3 times in the US. It's mind mindbogglingly HUGE! The Wright brothers first flight was less than the wingspan of a 747 and was less than a minute in duration.

[@shaner9155]

The Louisiana purchase was from France but Florida was purchased from Spain.

[@Jliske2]

5:40 funny enough, the town of Monowi IS in fact solely inhabited by one woman, who is the mayor, librarian, and bartender

[@runrafarunthebestintheworld]

LoL wow. 😅

[@jaysonphillips6899]

The Largest Army base is Ft. Hood TX by acre and Largest by population is Ft. Bragg, NC and Yes Drive in movies are still around today!

[@stephanieritter9285]

We have lifts as well but more commonly know for lifts to transport food and goods from a delivery truck to the basement of stores and restaurants.. but some use it for evaluators as well.. also for indoor spaces for the same purpose but for example in a factory or business

[@kathyrutherford4485]

A lot of small towns in rural America share a school rather than each having their own

[@caretaker158]

There are a lot of town names that would make some people blush in my home state of Pennsylvania.... and a lot of them are in Amish country... and a lot that would make people shake their heads... like Bird In Hand, King of Prussia, etc.

[@renee176]

I guess we're posh concerning the word "elevator" because that's what we call them.😊

[@danodonnell8102]

There is a joke/saying we would use living near Lancaster Pa, and that is, 'You start at Bird-In-Hand and get to Intercourse, and once you're in Middlesex you can either wind up in Paradise or Blueball'

[@theblackbear211]

Drive-in theatres still exist, but, are now rare.

[@rubiesofgold7698]

You two are a great age for having children.

[@beverlybrown2673]

The Verrazzano Narrows is NOT the longest suspension bridge in the USA! The Mackinaw Bridge in Michigan is the longest suspension in the western hemisphere. Opened in 1957, it was for many years the longest in the world, now 27th. It links the upper and lower peninsulas of Michigan over the Straits of Mackinaw, and is 5 miles long.

[@Yugioh420]

I looked it up, in the 50s there where over 4,000 drive ins but as of 2022 there are less then 300 nation wide.

[@johnrice893]

The Write brothers built the plane in Ohio but flew it in N. Carolina due to the prevailing winds.

[@ellenstrack6274]

Drive-ins are a thing of the psst....my Dad's 2nd job was a concession manager at the local drive-in while I was growing up. We went to the movies several times a month so we could spend time with Dad...

[@owens_shmoens]

I'm pretty sure the only thing needed for a town to be legally a town in the US is a post office.

[@petercharron3268]

Close on the Spain idea. After the seven years war ended in 1763 France ceded Canada to England and Louisiana to Spain. Napoleon defeated Spain in the Napoleonic wars and later sold Louisiana to the US

[@stellaandes759]

The Wright Brothers were from Dayton, Ohio. I attended Yuma High School briefly.

[@teenystudioflicks1635]

The first elevator and escalator were invented, named and patented in the USA.

[@Calico_Jack_]

We still have an active Drive In theater in our town. It shows new release movies, as well.

[@deidres100]

An escalator to us are moving stairs, an elevator is your lift

[@AngryOtterReacts]

The Wright Bros were from Ohio, but the flight took place at Kitty Hawk, NC because of the constant breeze was favorable for the attempt at flight.

[@nickmccoy85]

She just can't accept the meaning of the "largest ever RECORDED" haha it's hilarious how she's dug her heels into that one little misinterpretation

[@arrobrewer2730]

Incorporated towns in Nebraska just needs a post office he must be the post master

[@jLutraveling]

The flight in North Carolina was very short. It took place in a beautiful area of North Carolina called the outer Banks.

[@theblackbear211]

OK - this is not a well known fact - The Louisiana Territory was originally French, but; while negotiating the treaty to end the 7 Years War (1763 Treaty of Paris) (When England got Canada from the French and Florida from Spain) The French secretly deeded the Louisiana Territory to their ally - Spain (In the 1762 Treaty of Fontainebleau). In 1800-1801 France "reacquired" Louisiana back from Spain, but left the Spanish Administrators in place, thus, when the US purchased it from France, they had to submit the papers to the local Spanish authorities. (In the meantime - Britain ceded Florida back to Spain at the conclusion of the American Revolution.)

[@plaidpaisley5918]

Don’t go to the San Bernardino Mickey D’s! 😅Unless you’re going up to Big Bear.

[@JeffBishop_KB3QMT]

He said "first SUCCESSFUL heart transplant." I was young at the time, but I think the first heart transplant was in South Africa, though I could be wrong.

[@Sunset553]

I looked for the tiny town in Nebraska with 1 person. It has a Wikipedia page. It’s called Monowi, Nebraska. Some of my family is from Nebraska, but I’ve never been there, so I looked on Google Earth. It’s 134 acres. I see 2 small building fronts and a stop sign. One of the buildings is either a store or a bar. It welcomes hunters and advertises beer. I see a barn and silo but I’m not sure if they’re within Monowi. Google Earth says it’s a Village. Monowi Village, Inc. Population 1

[@fsujavi16]

12:10 Drive ins are no longer big but in the city I used to live in, Paramount, CA, it reopened before the pandemic started and has made a comeback :)

[@Real_LiamOBryan]

We have a few drive-in theaters in Oregon. I've been to them quite a few times.

[@vikkireddout2053]

I live in Tulsa,Oklahoma.. and we have a drive in movie theater . about a mile from my home.. and its by the Tulsa international airport about a three min drive from there...

[@veredben-avraham6598]

Alaska is the western most state, eastern most state, and northern most state

[@kdc1208]

That drive-in theater pictured there is in Abingdon, VA.. so not the original one they were talking about in the video. I drive by it all the time. Unfortunately it's closed down now