American things that are actually British
There are some things in life which seem so synonymous with the USA that you couldn't imagine for one second they were invented anywhere else. From certain sweet treats and food favourites through to aspects of the country's history and culture, they all seem quintessentially American. But what if we told you some of those Stateside favourites didn't originate there at all - but have their origins in the UK? Read on to find out about some seemingly all-American things - which were actually invented by the British...
This may amuse or even shock our American readers, as the computer, radar, telephone, television and even the first web site are all English inventions.
I was recently asked by an American ( on e mail from Colorado ) if there was any country older than the USA ( ??? ) and I had to point out that there are thousands of pubs in the UK older than the USA and how I lived in a house decades ago that was dated from 1560 - and even London itself is almost 2,000 ( yes you read that right - TWO THOUSAND ) years old, so yes, to the dummy who asked the question, America is NOT the centre of the planet and is NOT the begining and the end of - er - anything really...
And yes, here in England we spell the word CENTRE that way as it is a French word... although I do find the fact there are so many French words in the English language a bit passe. ( Get the joke,.,,??? )
A.1. Steak Sauce
Kicking off with a sauce that's positively ubiquitous in the US - and which no self-respecting steak should be without. But did you know that A1 actually has its origins here? The sauce was actually created in 1824 by Henderson William Brand, who was a chef to King George IV, with one myth suggesting it got its name after the monarch loved it so much he proclaimed it to be 'A1'. It was sold commercially as a condiment for 'fish, meat, fowl and game' from 1831 onwards, before being sold in the US from 1906, after the name and formula were trademarked there. Curiously, it's now pretty hard to find in the UK, having been phased out of supermarkets in the late 1970s after it fell out of favour
Apple pie
We've all heard the phrase 'as American as apple pie', right? Well technically it's inaccurate since the Brits definitely have first dubs on the invention of a pie with apples in it. In fact, its origins date all the way back to 1381, with website Food52 revealing the dessert was born out of culinary traditions from France, the Netherlands and the Ottoman Empire. It was subsequently brought to the colonies by the English, Dutch and Swedes during the 17th and 18th Centuries. Although it's worth noting that the recipe varied from one place to the next. According to Smithsonian magazine, early apple pies contained no sugar and the pastry crust acted more as 'coffin pastry' - an inedible container which was not meant to be eaten.
The Liberty Bell
This one's a bit of both. If you've ever been to Philadelphia, you'll no doubt have stopped by the Liberty Bell, a symbol of American independence which is still one of the city's biggest tourist attractions. But while the bell was commissioned by a US organisation - the Pennsylvania Provincial Assembly - in 1751, it was in fact made at the Whitechapel Bell Foundry in London. The bell cracked soon after it arrived in the US the following year, with a pair of local craftsmen, John Pass and John Stow, recasting it in 1753 using the metal from the original bell which was made in London.
The US National Anthem
OK, so the words and meaning of this one are most definitely American, and we'd never suggest for a second they weren't. The tune, however? Well that does indeed have its origins in British culture. The melody of The Star Spangled Banner is the same as a British drinking song, To Anacreon in Heaven, which was written by composer John Stafford Smith around 1773. You can even hear a version of it on YouTube. The version we know as the US national anthem, however, was first recognised for official use by the US Navy in 1889 before it became the country's official national anthem in 1931.
So besides Bob Hope, Angela Landsbury, Charlie Chaplin - and Stan Laurel of Laurel & Hardy fame, all were from England. Many Americans assume they were American because they found fame in the USA, but all were English... to name just a few.
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