American Trivia includes origins of the national anthem, stories about national treasures such as the Liberty Bell and Statue of Liberty, fascinating information about the country's many heroes and inventors, and more!
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| Introduction | |
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| Origins | |
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| How America Got Its Name | |
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| It's a Grand Old Flag | |
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| Our Nation's Birthday | |
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| The Supreme Law of Our Land | |
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| A Capital Idea | |
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| National Symbols | |
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| America Singing | |
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| Hail to the Chiefs | |
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| A Procession of Presidents | |
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| Ten Fascinating Facts About Our Presidents | |
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| The Presidential Origin of OK | |
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| Abe Lincoln's Humor | |
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| TR and the Bear Facts | |
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| Immortal Mortals | |
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| The Home of the Brave | |
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| The Land of the Free | |
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| The Name Is the Game | |
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| America: The Mother of Invention | |
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| Homegrown Authors | |
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| This American Language | |
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| A Declaration of Language Independence | |
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| Talking Turkey | |
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| All-American Dialects | |
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| This Land is Our Land | |
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| America the Beautiful | |
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| States of the Union | |
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| A Letter-Perfect Quiz | |
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| Pride of Place | |
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| America Grows Up | |
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| Ties That Bind | |
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| Food for Thought | |
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| We All Speak Movie Lines | |
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| A Baseball Doubleheader | |
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| American Riddles | |
Richard Lederer, the well-known wordsmith, originally intended to practice medicine. He entered Haverford College as a pre-medical student, but when he realized that he was more interested in the textbooks' language than their substance, he switched his major to English. He next attended Harvard Law School, but again switched majors--this time entering Harvard's Master of Arts and Teaching program. After graduation, he taught English and media at St. Paul's School, in Concord, N.H., for 27 years. Upon earning his Ph.D. in English and Linguistics from the University of New Hampshire, he decided to pursue a career writing books on the English language. His first book, Anguished English, was a popular success and launched his career. His books, newspaper columns, and speaking engagements have allowed Lederer, in his own words, "to extend my mission of teachership." Lederer describes himself as a "verbivore" - one who consumes words. He says, "Carnivores eat meat; herbivores eat plants and vegetables; verbivores devour words." His fascination with word play (particularly, palindromes and puns) resulted in his nicknames--"Attila the Pun" and "Conan the Grammarian."
Caroline McCullagh earned a master's degree in anthropology from the University of California, San Diego. She is the author of four novels, a cookbook, a student opera, and writes monthly garden book reviews for the San Diego Horticultural Society. She lives in San Diego.
