From the U.S. to the world

Which are the 12 most used American terms worldwide? 12 strong contenders

American English has influenced global vocabulary for more than a century through movies, advertisements, literature, music, businesses, and technology. Some words that began as distinctly American expressions eventually became common almost everywhere, even in places where English is not an official language. From casual slang to everyday terms for housing, transportation, and anything you can think of, these 12 Americanisms have crossed oceans and cemented themselves into the daily speech of dozens of countries.

"OK" may be the most successful American word ever exported. It first appeared in print on March 23, 1839, in the Boston Morning Post, where editor Charles Gordon Green jokingly abbreviated "oll korrect," a humorous misspelling of "all correct."

The term exploded nationally during the 1840 U.S. presidential campaign of Martin Van Buren, nicknamed "Old Kinderhook" after Kinderhook, New York. Today, "OK" is used almost everywhere on Earth.

The word "teenager" became popular in the U.S. during the 1940s, especially through advertising and youth marketing. Earlier generations did not usually view adolescence as a separate social category the way modern culture does.

American magazines, fashion brands, and music companies helped spread the idea worldwide after World War II. Publications such as Seventeen magazine and Hollywood films helped establish the teenager as a distinct cultural identity across Europe and beyond.

"Movie" emerged in the U.S. around 1912 as a shortened version of "moving picture." Americans favored the informal nickname, while Britain and some other countries kept preferring "film" or "cinema."

Hollywood’s rise during the 20th century carried the term across the globe. By the 1930s and 1940s, millions of people worldwide were watching American "movies," and the word became internationally recognizable even in places where local terms still existed.

Americans popularized the word "elevator" for the vertical lift system invented in the 19th century. In Britain, the same machine became known as a "lift," but American terminology spread internationally through U.S. companies and skyscraper culture.

The word gained prominence after inventor Elisha Otis demonstrated a safe passenger elevator in New York City in 1854 at the Crystal Palace Exhibition. As American-style office towers spread worldwide during the 20th century, so did the "elevator."

The American word "cookie" comes from the Dutch word koekje, meaning "little cake." Dutch settlers brought the term to New Amsterdam, later renamed New York, during the 1600s. Over time, Americans adopted it as the standard word for sweet baked treats.

Britain traditionally used "biscuit," but American culture helped spread "cookie" globally through packaged snacks, television advertising, and brands like Oreo and Chips Ahoy! Today, both terms are recognized internationally, often with slightly different meanings.

"Apartment" became the dominant American term for a rented residential unit during the late 19th century as cities like New York and Chicago rapidly expanded upward with multi-family buildings.

British English traditionally favored "flat," but "apartment" spread internationally through American real-estate marketing, television, and films. Luxury developments worldwide now commonly advertise "apartments," even in countries where local words exist.

Americans shortened "gasoline" to simply "gas" in the early automotive era of the 1900s. The rise of Ford, General Motors, and America’s highway culture helped export the term globally alongside U.S. car culture.

While many countries still prefer "petrol," travelers almost anywhere understand "gas station." American road movies, music, and television helped cement the term in international vocabulary.

The American word "truck" replaced the older freight term during the industrial boom of the late 1800s and early 1900s. In Britain, the same vehicle is usually called a "lorry," but American English has spread widely through commerce and manufacturing.

As American trucking companies, military vehicles, and exports became globally visible after World War II, "truck" entered everyday speech in many countries. Today, international brands from Toyota to Mercedes often market "pickup trucks" using the American term.

Americans adopted "sidewalk" during the 18th and 19th centuries to describe paved pedestrian paths beside the streets. British English preferred "pavement," but U.S. urban terminology spread through engineering, mapping, and popular culture.

The term became especially associated with American city life in places like New York and Los Angeles. Jazz songs, movies, and Broadway culture helped introduce "sidewalk" to international audiences during the 20th century.

"Store" became the standard American word for a retail shop during the country’s commercial expansion in the 1800s. Britain traditionally favored "shop," but American business culture later spread "store" internationally.

Department stores such as Macy’s, founded in New York in 1858, and later chains like Walmart and Target helped popularize the term worldwide. Today, many countries use both "shop" and store, often interchangeably.

The U.S. popularized "vacation" as the standard word for leisure travel and time away from work. The term comes from the Latin vacatio, meaning freedom or exemption from duty, but gained especially strong impulse and use in the U.S. during the late 19th century.

British English prefers "holiday," yet "vacation" has spread globally through American tourism, airlines, and entertainment. Expressions like "summer vacation" became internationally familiar thanks to movies, television, and school-related American culture.

"Guy" originally referred to Guy Fawkes, the English conspirator involved in the failed Gunpowder Plot of 1605. In Britain, "guy" first described strange-looking figures burned during Bonfire Night celebrations.

Americans later transformed the word into an informal term for a man, and eventually for groups of people in general, as in "you guys." Hollywood films, television sitcoms, and everyday American speech helped spread this casual usage worldwide.

10 weird historical events that no one has been able to explain (yet)

Image: Walters Art Museum, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Who doesn't like a good mystery? And if the mystery isn’t a work of fiction but the result of a true story, even better! The great unsolved enigmas of history are absolutely fascinating. Some have been solved over time, but there are still many old secrets for which neither scientists nor historians have found an explanation—yet. Time-travel with us as we uncover 10 of the biggest historical mysteries that will probably never be cracked!

Image: Tanner, Henry S., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Bermeja Island is mentioned in navigation texts written by European travelers and appears in cartography from the 16th to 19th centuries. Old maps place it off the north coast of the Yucatán Peninsula; however, multiple searches over the years have yielded no concrete evidence of its existence.

So, what happened to Isla Bermeja? Was it a cartographic error? Did it sink due to a tidal wave? Because of its geopolitical significance, some have even suggested that it was blown up by the CIA! A 2009 study by the Autonomous University of Mexico concluded that Isla Bermeja does not exist today, nor were any traces found at its supposed coordinates. Yet, it will forever remain a mystery that will surely keep many entertained.

Image: Credit: Big Ear Radio Observatory and North American AstroPhysical Observatory (NAAPO)., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

In 1977, Ohio State University’s Big Ear radio telescope, used in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, detected a signal now known as the Wow! signal. While reviewing the data, astronomer Jerry R. Ehman noticed a sequence represented as "6EQUJ5." Baffled by the anomaly, he circled it and wrote "Wow!" in the margins.

The signal lasted 72 seconds and, unfortunately, has never been repeated. To this day, no one can fully explain the phenomenon, although some suggest it may have come from a man-made source. Still, the Wow! signal remains one of the strongest candidates for potential extraterrestrial contact ever detected.

Image: Edward S. Curtis, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

How is it possible for an entire village to vanish without a trace? Believe it or not, this is said to have happened nearly a century ago. According to lore, a small Inuit village in Canada was well known among fur trappers who visited regularly to trade. But in 1930, something very strange supposedly occurred.

A hunter named Joe Labelle claimed he visited the village one day and couldn’t find a single person. Reports said there were guns and food left behind, and even claims that the graves in the cemetery were empty. A thorough investigation, however, found no conclusive evidence of what happened to the villagers. Some witnesses from nearby towns even reported seeing a huge green light. Theories ranged from mass migration to extraterrestrial abductions. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police has since dismissed the case as an urban legend. Some still believe the story to be true.

Image: bbb

We know thousands of shipwreck stories, but this one is quite unique. The MV Joyita, designed to be nearly unsinkable, was found adrift in the South Pacific, practically unharmed, but the crew had disappeared completely.

In October 1955, the American merchant vessel left the port of Apia in Samoa with 16 crew members and 9 passengers bound for the Tokelau Islands. After days without news, a rescue mission was launched. Five weeks later, the Joyita was spotted more than 600 miles west of its intended route. The vessel was partially submerged, and there was no sign of the passengers or crew. Four tons of cargo and all three life rafts were missing. They were never seen again.

Image: Gary Todd from Xinzheng, China, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Do you know where one of the best-preserved mummies was found? Hint: not in Egypt. Xin Zhui, the Marquise of Dai during the Western Han Dynasty in China, was discovered in her tomb at Mawangdui 2,000 years after her death, along with hundreds of valuable documents and artifacts.

What makes this mummy so extraordinary is how well-preserved her body is. Her organs and veins remain intact, and she still has hair and even eyelashes. Scientists analyzed the fluid present in the coffin and discovered it was acidic and contained salt and magnesium. They believe this mysterious liquid may have been responsible for preserving Xin Zhui so well. What they don’t know is whether it was intentionally poured into the coffin or came from the body itself.

Image: Yoichi Okamoto, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The United States has its fair share of presidents who died while in office, but none of our 45 presidents have ever disappeared without a trace. Did you know that this actually happened in The Land Down Under?

Harold Edward Holt was the Prime Minister of Australia from 1966 until his presumed death in 1967. He loved the ocean and spearfishing. During a weekend trip with friends, Holt visited the remote Cheviot Beach to take a swim. Rough sea conditions that day caused him to be swept away by the waves, and he never reappeared. Despite an intensive search, his body was never found, which has given rise to numerous conspiracy theories. Ironically, Australians built the Harold Holt Memorial Swimming Centre in Melbourne in his honor.

Image: FBI, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Many famous criminals have managed to remain unidentified for decades, but the D.B. Cooper case is something else entirely. In 1971, Cooper boarded a flight from Portland to Seattle. Shortly after takeoff, he showed a flight attendant a device he claimed was a bomb and demanded four parachutes and $200,000 in cash.

The crew landed to meet Cooper’s demands in exchange for the passengers and then took off again. As the plane flew over southwestern Washington, Cooper jumped into the cold, rainy night carrying his haul. His whereabouts and true identity were never discovered, although it is likely he didn’t survive the jump. In 1980, some of the ransom money was found near the Columbia River. Although the FBI officially closed the case in 2016, amateur sleuths continue to try to crack it.

Image: Pieter Brueghel the Elder, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Can you imagine an epidemic where the main symptom is uncontrollable dancing? Sounds like science fiction, doesn’t it? Yet this really happened during the Middle Ages. In 1518, a dancing plague struck Strasbourg, Alsace, in what is now France. This strange condition affected up to 400 people, making them dance frantically for weeks. It is said that some even died of heart attacks, exhaustion, or strokes.

Doctors and authorities tried all kinds of measures to stop the spread. They even banned music for a while! To this day, scientists are not certain what caused this bizarre condition: it may have been food poisoning from toxins in the ergot fungus, or perhaps a case of stress-induced mass hysteria.

Image: Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The Voynich manuscript is a codex written roughly 500 years ago in an unknown language and writing system by an anonymous author. Known as Voynichese, the manuscript was named after Wilfrid Voynich, a Polish bibliophile and antiquarian who purchased it in 1912.

Radiocarbon testing has shown that it dates to the early 15th century. Many cryptographers and codebreakers have attempted to decipher its roughly 240 pages without success. The manuscript contains diagrams and illustrations of unknown plants and astrological symbols. Some believe it may be a made-up language, a secret code, a work of fiction, or even a hoax. If you think you can solve this mystery, the Voynich manuscript is available for viewing at Yale University’s Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library.

Image: Bernhard

Similar to the Voynich manuscript, the Phaistos Disc is a fired clay disc believed to have been created during the Bronze Age. It was discovered by an Italian archaeologist in the basement of a palace in Crete, Greece, in 1908.

What makes this disc fascinating is that it contains a mysterious message. Stamped into the clay is a set of signs, forming a text that many scientists have tried to decipher—without success. It is considered an early attempt at printing, a technological innovation that would not become widespread for several centuries. While enthusiasts still hope the enigma can be solved, this is unlikely unless other documents are discovered to provide context.