Fortune's "100 Greatest Things about America"

Jstas

Thought I'd share.

Dunno if I agree.

I think the order's wrong too. Like Duct Tape ranked higher than The Bill of Rights?

Anyway, here's the link: http://features.blogs.fortune.cnn.com/2011/07/01/100-great-things-about-america/

Here's the list:

1. Opportunity
We live in the land of it. It's knocking. And all the other adages -- all true.

2. The Interstate Highway System.
Road trip! Jack Kerouac, Hunter S. Thompson, Chevy Chase -- and you.

3. The Sears Tower
Naming rights are well and good, but the Willis Tower is still Sears (SHLD) to us -- and still the nation's tallest building.

4. Wal-Mart employees in Joplin, Mo.
Store employees saved lives during the tornado. Now that's service.

5. Navy Seals
They get the big jobs done, and they don't talk about it.

6. ESPN
More than sports, it's a cradle of pop culture, coming from an unlikely-ville: Bristol, Conn.

7. FedEx
The iconic trucks with their orange-and-purple trim always come through.

8. Steve Jobs
The brain behind the iPhone, iPad, and iEverything finally managed to get the Beatles onto iTunes. What can't this guy do?

9. Whole Foods
It's a locavore market, it's a scene -- and if you bring your own reusable bag, most stores will knock a dime off the bill.

10. Microsoft Word
RTF, PDF -- these mean little to us. The doc is king.

11. Ford F-150
The bestselling pickup truck of all time.

12. The Rockefeller Family
The towering bloodline is synonymous with oil, power, and New York City, but its legacy includes Colonial Williamsburg, MoMA, Acadia and Grand Teton National Parks -- and much more.

13. Caterpillar
When you stick your neck out to gawk at a construction site on the highway, notice it's always Cat (CAT) machinery?

14. Detroit
Motown's rise, fall, and -- we hope -- rise again.

15. The Kindle
Savior to trees and book publishing alike.

16. Duct tape
Everyone's first fix-it choice. Just ask MacGyver. Or MacGruber.

17. The Bill of Rights
The big 10, baby. (We're especially partial to freedom of the press.)

18. The Wall Street Bull
The market may be struggling, but tourists keep coming to get a photo with its iconic symbol.

19. Carlos Santana
If you didn't already have "Oye Como Va" in your head, you will now.

20. Pappy Van Winkle Bourbon
Kentucky-made, by one family, since 1893.

21. LinkedIn
Facebook for grownups -- and a hot IPO too.

22. Colin Powell
Statesman, retired four-star general, and child of immigrants: an American story.

23. Bill and Melinda Gates
Money getting money to pledge money.

24. GEICO commercials
Always clever (though we prefer the gecko to the guy in the suit and the cavemen).

25. The Mississippi River
Our country's largest river system -- and muse to Twain, Faulkner, Zeppelin, and Cash.

26. Ben & Jerry's
The only thing better than its AmeriCone Dream is the "flavor graveyard" on its website.

27. Bose noise-canceling headphones
It took a Massachusetts company to make ignoring your neighbor on an airplane socially acceptable.

28. Self-stick stamps
Our tongues are rejoicing.

29. The Boeing 747
The most popular commercial aircraft in history.

30. Warren Buffett
Even after Sokolgate, he's still the Oracle, and friend to the likes of No. 23 -- and No. 33.

31. Summer Friday hours
"Out at 3 p.m." -- sometimes meaning "out after lunch."

32. Poland Spring
Better than Perrier.

33. LeBron James
Will America's biggest loser become a sympathetic figure? The story of next season ...

34. GPS
Invented by engineers at MIT. Which is where, exactly?

35. Daily deal websites
Discounted things to try, eat, and buy are just a click away.

36. Friday Night Lights
The book, the TV series, and the cult of Coach Taylor.

37. Budweiser beer
No, not Bud Light. Budweiser. Now Belgian-owned, but still all-American.

38. "American Pie" By Don McLean
"Drove my Chevy to the levee" -- the laziest rhyme ever that works.

39. Jay-Z
From rapper to Roc-A-Fella.

40. Louisville Slugger bats
Trusted by pros, softball leagues, and homeowners concerned about intruders.

41. Kevin Spacey voicing Honda commercials
And no one even knowing.

42. Zappos
All hail the king of free shipping ... both ways.

43. Oscar Mayer hot dogs
The Weiner that has managed to retain its dignity.

44. SEC football
'Bama, LSU, Auburn, and even Vandy -- the league to watch, every year.

45. TMZ
Everyone's first stop for gossip (but you don't read it ... right?).

46. Music festivals
From Bonnaroo to Coachella, you're never too old to go.

47. Glee
You should be watching, if just for Jane Lynch.

48. Hank Aaron
Before Hank Paulson, the original Hammerin' Hank -- a home-run king without an asterisk.

49. James Taylor
Even if you're not crazy about his voice, a great American songwriter.

50. Tom Brady
The model-marryin', best-lookin', best-tossin' quarterback in the country.

51. NASCAR
Red states, blue states, and a season that lasts ten months a year. Truly America's sport.

52. The Great Gatsby
Did anyone not read this in high school? A remake of the movie is in the works starring Leonardo DiCaprio as Jay Gatsby and Tobey Maguire as Nick Carraway.

53. Gatorade
From the University of Florida to national hangover beverage -- okay, it's a sports drink too.

54. Sandusky, Ohio
It's known for its roller coasters, but it also has a 13.37% job-growth rate -- the highest of any metropolitan area in the country in the past year.

55. Times Square
The lights, the shows, the crowds, the tourists (the jury's still out on the new pedestrian plazas).

56. Aretha Franklin
At 69, she's still -- and forever -- the Queen of Soul.

57. Independent bookstores
Powell's in Portland, Ore., Kepler's in Menlo Park, Calif., the Strand in New York City.

58. 60 Minutes
At 43 years, the longest-running primetime show is also the most successful broadcast in history, with 82 Emmys.

59. Clif Bars
The iconic energy bar. Yes, it's come to this.

60. Seinfeld
Yadda, yadda, yadda.

61. Diet Coke
That perfect bubbly taste you can feel slightly better about drinking.

62. Gmail
So easy to use, so customizable, so much storage. Well done, Gmen.

63. The Grand Canyon
Still the not-to-be-missed family vacation.

64. Men and Women serving in the U.S. Armed Forces
Thanks.

65. Clint Eastwood
And now, in his latest incarnation, drinking PBR on his porch in Gran Torino.

66. E-ZPass
No more tossing coins through your window -- keep on cruising, and they'll send you the bill.

67. Jonathan Franzen
From The Corrections to Freedom, they're a long time in the writing, but worth it.

68. Windex
An S.C. Johnson product, an American idea!

69. Michelle Obama
A formidable presence who's brought her own form of glam to the White House.

70. Gibson les Paul
Namesake instrument of the electric guitar pioneer who died in 2009.

71. Morton Salt
Who doesn't instantly recognize that little girl with the umbrella?

72. The Kardashians
Only in America would the family of O.J.'s lawyer become an institution.

73. Jeff Bridges
He was the Dude. And then he was the Dude again, in Crazy Heart and True Grit. And we love the man.

74. Nike
From Eugene, Ore., the Swoosh outfits athletes everywhere.

75. Prom
Not the new movie but the American ritual: limos, boutonnieres, slow dancing, and all.

76. Diners
Stainless steel, swivel counter stools, and breakfast anytime.

77. Old Spice
Those quirky ads brought it back into the public eye, but the iconic red stick has been sweetening your scent since 1938.

78. Disneyland/Disney World
Parents and kids simply say they're "going to Disney."

79. Philly cheesesteaks
Pat's, Geno's -- or Jim's. Often imitated, never duplicated.

80. Xerox PARC
The Silicon Valley lab where Ethernet and laser printing were born; a veritable genius center for the hatching of big tech ideas.

81. Tina Fey
Don't judge Bossypants by its cover: She's a comic genius.

82. Blogging
We're all writers now. Uh-oh ...

83. Politicians who Tweet
For better ... and for way worse.

84. The Gulfstream G650
It's fly like a G6, because it is one.

85. Coppertone sunblock
Now owned by Merck (MRK), and sporting the same logo of the girl and her dog since 1953.

86. Food-labeling requirements
So that we can't eat red velvet cake guilt-free.

87. Drive-in movies
Believe it or not, there are still some 400 left.

88. Exxon Mobil
Hardly loved by all, but the most profitable company on the Fortune 500. And that's American right there.

89. Sesame Street
The place for the ultimate celebrity cameo.

90. Starbucks
How does it come up with new flavors of Frappuccino that seem to cost just slightly more than the last one?

91. Brian Williams
Hard not to like his brains, humor, and 30 Rock appearances.

92. Mark Zuckerberg
From Facebook to cookbook? Zuck will now be eating only animals that he kills himself.

93. Vineyard Vines, Ralph Lauren, J.McLaughlin
Preppy clothing brands outfitting Nantucket-goers and wannabes year-round.

94. Sully Sullenberger
The man, the legend, the miracle maker, and now the aviation expert at CBS News.

95. Steven Spielberg
Jaws, Schindler's List, Jurassic Park, E.T., Saving Private Ryan. Boom.

96. Girl Scout Cookies
Creating Thin Mint addicts across the nation.

97. Subway
Jared's sandwich shop dethroned McDonald's (MCD) this year as the biggest fast-food chain in the world.

98. Jeopardy!
Answer: America's favorite quiz show. Question: What is Jeopardy!?

99. The Pulitzer Prize
Identifying our best and brightest in journalism, literature, and music.

100. National Lampoon's Vacation
The Griswolds' epic cross-country adventure (see Nos. 2 and 63). What better way to kick off summer?

--List compiled by Daniel Roberts, Eno Alfred, Tara Moore, Colleen Leahey and Fortune staff

nooshinjohn

There aren't many things on the list that I would pick for my list. Carlos Santana... great guitarist and musician, but the guy hardly espouses American beliefs when interviewed. He belongs on the same list as Sean Penn.

I bring him up to illustrate that there is not a single mention of any of the founding fathers, or Mt. Rushmore even. Without them, there would be no America to love.

Glad I take that list as kind of a joke rather than a serious one. If it came from Rolling Stone, I would have even laughed a bit, but I expect better from Fortune.

cnh

Aren't you in California now, John? Haven't 'they' taught you anything yet? Or are you just a slow learner? lol

I doubt this list was intended to celebrate America in a serious/historical way. As for Carlos....he's a musician for god's sake!

I find the list amusing, and of course there are some things up there I'd change or substitute....but it did make me chuckle some.

cnh

mrbiron

What a terrible list....Seriously, some dunce got paid to make this crap up??!!
Just look at the top 3....
Opportunity....Highway System.....The Willis Tower <---WTF?
Is there nothing more american than the formerly knows as Sears Tower. My head hurts

Joe08867

How about the original stuff.

Freedom of speech
Freedom of religion

What about a Coney Island Hotdog?
A Philly Cheese steak?
Country Music?
Nascar?
Boy I am sounding like a redneck..
How about Rednecks?

Jstas

Joe08867 wrote: »

How about the original stuff.

Freedom of speech
Freedom of religion

What about a Coney Island Hotdog?
A Philly Cheese steak?
Country Music?
Nascar?
Boy I am sounding like a redneck..
How about Rednecks?

They have Philly Cheesesteaks. They just list Pat's, Geno's or Jim's...all touristy spots.

They have NASCAR too. Number 51 I think it is?

Sherardp

13. Should have been John Deere, who doesn't recognize the green & yellow.

CAT is a bigger company , but we have the popularity vote. Geesh!!!

comfortablycurt

#46, music festivals...should really be number one. Music festivals are without question, the absolute greatest thing about this country. It's not even up for debate.

Joe08867

Jstas wrote: »

They have Philly Cheesesteaks. They just list Pat's, Geno's or Jim's...all touristy spots.

They have NASCAR too. Number 51 I think it is?

Then I stand corrected, that is a good list. The two items could have been higher up the list but they made it in either case.

fatchowmein

#1 Restrooms.
Yeah, some are unattended, nasty house of horrors especially at the gas stations but go visit China for a few days and you'll understand why I have it listed at the very top.