Famous U.S. Cities
This U.S. capital city is home to the White House, the Lincoln Memorial, and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier nearby in Arlington.
Washington, D.C.
Fun Fact: Every Veterans Day, the President places a wreath of flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at 11:00 a.m. to honor service members.
Before becoming the very first U.S. President, this leader was the commanding general of the Continental Army.
George Washington
Fun Fact: George Washington created the Badge of Military Merit in 1782, which later became the Purple Heart medal awarded to wounded soldiers.
This U.S. national anthem begins with the famous question, "O say can you see, by the dawn's early light.
"The Star-Spangled Banner"
Fun Fact: Francis Scott Key wrote the words as a poem in 1814 after watching a giant American flag survive an all-night battle at Fort McHenry
Orville and Wilbur Wright invented and flew the very first powered version of this flying machine in 1903.
Airplane
Fun Fact: The Wright brothers' first flight in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, lasted just 12 seconds and traveled 120 feet—shorter than the wingspan of a modern jumbo jet.
This legendary New York Yankees slugger was nicknamed "The Bambino" and hit 714 home runs.
Babe Ruth
Fun Fact: Babe Ruth used to keep a cold cabbage leaf under his baseball cap during hot summer games to help stay cool!
This "Big Fruit" city welcomes ships into its harbor with the giant green Statue of Liberty.
Response: What is New York City?
Fun Fact: New York City hosts the largest Veterans Day parade in the country, marching right down Fifth Avenue every November 11.
This tall president wore a famous stovepipe hat and led the country during the American Civil War.
Abraham Lincoln
Fun Fact: Abraham Lincoln was the first U.S. president to wear a beard while in office after an 11-year-old girl wrote him a letter suggesting it would look nice.
This beloved patriotic song praises America's "spacious skies," "amber waves of grain," and "purple mountain majesties."
"America the Beautiful"
Fun Fact: English professor Katharine Lee Bates wrote the poem in 1893 after riding to the top of Pikes Peak in Colorado and admiring the view.
Thomas Edison improved this glowing glass invention in 1879 so families could safely light up their homes at night.
Light bulb
Fact: Thomas Edison tested more than 3,000 different designs and materials before finding a filament that burned brightly and lasted.
In 1980, the U.S. men's ice hockey team pulled off a famous upset against the Soviet Union known as the "Miracle on" this frozen surface.
Ice ("Miracle on Ice")?
Fun Fact: The U.S. team was made up almost entirely of college players, and their win is often voted the greatest sports moment of the 20th century.
This Pennsylvania city is the birthplace of the U.S. Marine Corps and is home to the famous cracked Liberty Bell.
Philadelphia
Fun Fact: The U.S. Marine Corps was founded at a tavern in Philadelphia on November 10, 1775—just one day before the date we now celebrate Veterans Day.
This energetic president loved the outdoors, served in the "Rough Riders" cavalry, and inspired the name of the stuffed teddy bear.
Response: Who is Theodore Roosevelt?
Fun Fact: Theodore Roosevelt is the only U.S. president to receive the Medal of Honor, America's highest military award for bravery.
Irving Berlin wrote this famous song that goes "from the mountains, to the prairies, to the oceans white with foam."
Response: What is "God Bless America"?
Fun Fact: Irving Berlin originally wrote the song in 1918 while serving in the U.S. Army during World War I, and singer Kate Smith made it a hit on the radio in 1938.
Alexander Graham Bell invented this device in 1876 so people could talk to each other across long distances.
Response: What is the telephone?
Fun Fact: When Alexander Graham Bell died in 1922, every telephone in North America went silent for one full minute in his honor.
Famous for "floating like a butterfly and stinging like a bee," this Olympic gold medalist lit the Olympic torch in Atlanta in 1996.
Who is Muhammad Ali?
Muhammad Ali was originally born Cassius Clay in Louisville, Kentucky, and learned to box at age 12 after someone stole his bicycle.
Known as the "Windy City," this Illinois city sits right on the shore of giant Lake Michigan.
Chicago
Fun Fact: Chicago's famous Navy Pier was originally built as a shipping dock and amusement spot, and during World War I and II it served as a training center for Navy pilots.
Before becoming president, this five-star Army general led Allied forces in Europe during World War II.
Response: Who is Dwight D. Eisenhower?
Fun Fact: In 1954, President Eisenhower officially changed the name of Armistice Day to Veterans Day so it would honor veterans of all wars.
This lively marching song by John Philip Sousa is the official National March of the United States and is played at almost every parade.
"The Stars and Stripes Forever"
Fun Fact: John Philip Sousa led the U.S. Marine Band—known as "The President's Own"—and earned the nickname "The March King."
Invented by a Massachusetts gym teacher named James Naismith in 1891, this indoor sport originally used peach baskets as goals.
Basketball
Fun Fact: In the very first games of basketball, someone had to climb a ladder to get the ball out of the peach basket every time a team scored.
Athletes run with a blazing fire on a stick to light a giant bowl at the start of the Olympic Games.
Olympic torch (or Olympic flame)
Fun Fact: The Olympic flame is always lit in Greece using a special mirror that focuses the rays of the sun—never with a match or lighter.
This sunny California city is home to a famous zoo and one of the largest U.S. Navy fleets in the world.
Response: What is San Diego?
Fun Fact: You can visit a real retired aircraft carrier, the USS Midway, right on the San Diego waterfront and walk on its flight deck.
This young World War II Navy hero became president in 1961 and promised to land a man on the moon.
John F. Kennedy
Fun Fact: During World War II, John F. Kennedy rescued his injured crewmates after their patrol boat was struck, earning the Navy and Marine Corps Medal.
This 24-note bugle call is played at military funerals and at the end of the day on military bases to signal "lights out."
"Taps"?
: "Taps" was composed during the Civil War in 1862 by Union General Daniel Butterfield and his bugler, Oliver Wilcox Norton.
Invented by Ruth Wakefield in Massachusetts in the 1930s, this classic American treat was made.
What is the chocolate chip cookie?
During World War II, families sent thousands of care packages filled with chocolate chip cookies to American soldiers overseas, making them famous nationwide.
This legendary track and field star won four gold medals at the 1936 Berlin Olympics.
Jesse Owens
Fun Fact: Jesse Owens won all four of his Olympic gold medals in less than one week in the 100m, 200m, long jump, and relay race.