United States of Strange

Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of All Things Weird

Sure, you probably know that George Washington was our first president and that Christopher Columbus accidentally discovered America in 1492, but did you know that there are more plastic flamingos in the United States than there are real ones and that Disneyland employees were not permitted to wear their own underwear while dressing in character until 2001?

Behind the portrait of America that history classes, news reports, and boring documentaries have painted lies a strange and perplexing country that you couldn''t imagine even in your wildest dreams. Featuring 1,001 shocking facts, this book reveals all the secrets and weirdness that you never knew about the United States. From the thirty-two(!) bathrooms in the White House to the fact that a single U.S.–made hamburger may contain meat from 100 different cows, these wacky tidbits will guarantee that you''ll never look at this nation the same way again!