{"text":[[{"start":5.3,"text":"On this anniversary, it seems only right to think about this question. There are some very easy answers. Cutting-edge technological advances, the American dream and the generation that fought for freedom in the second world war. There are those who insist the Soviet Union has a greater claim to that last mantle, apart from that unfortunate business of Stalin siding with the Nazis first. But if it weren’t for the greatest generation, we’d all be speaking German now. Well, not the British obviously. We’ve always been hopeless with languages. So, 250 years on, what are America’s greatest hits? "}],[{"start":39.449999999999996,"text":"Jazz: Often described as the only truly American art form (though some argue for hip-hop). Jazz is America’s greatest artistic gift to the world, bigger even than Kenny G. If it had done nothing else, this would suffice."}],[{"start":53.75,"text":"Moon landings: Not only an epic achievement of science, engineering and human courage, but also the inspiration behind one of the dimmest ever conspiracy theories (and, boy, is that a competitive field). What makes the fake-moon-landings theory so impressive is that the degree of intricacy, deception and the silencing of the many thousands who would have had to be in on it was almost certainly more complex than just going to the moon."}],[{"start":80.8,"text":"Disneyland: I’m sorry you’re wrong. It really is the happiest place on earth."}],[{"start":85.85,"text":"National parks: Not an invention but spectacular all the same. Yosemite, Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon, Denali, Zion and, basically, all of Utah. And Disneyland, obviously."}],[{"start":100.25,"text":"Catch-22: The greatest satire of all time."}],[{"start":103.8,"text":"The monarchy: I know what you’re thinking. Other countries got there first and the US in fact rejected monarchy. Still, it’s rather keen on dynasties and only the US could have reinvented monarchy for the 21st century, complete with a cult of personality, massive naming rights, pictures on the currency and wholesale cashing in by members and friends of the first family. And the genius of it is that it is all quite open."}],[{"start":130.05,"text":"Political style: The élan of JFK, the speeches of MLK, the daring of FDR, the sunshine of Reaganism and the tweets of Donald Trump. The rhetoric and style of American democracy have reshaped the politics of every other democracy. Even its political scandals are on a greater scale than anything we can dream up in Europe. No one’s making a movie about Keir Starmer’s free suits."}],[{"start":156.5,"text":"Gerrymandering: Lots of nations have had electoral malpractice but only America would want to brand it with the name of a former vice-president."}],[{"start":164.9,"text":"Skyscrapers: If they hadn’t been invented, King Kong might have ended very differently. To which point, New York: California is more congenial but nothing matches the exhilarating energy of Manhattan."}],[{"start":176.6,"text":"HBO: I could have picked American cinema, but I went for the pioneering TV channel which created some of the greatest drama series of our time, and G String Divas."}],[{"start":186.75,"text":"American comedy: Invented by New York Jews so that people stopped trying to murder us."}],[{"start":192.5,"text":"The Great American Novel: Everywhere else just has normal novels. The US has Great American ones."}],[{"start":199.65,"text":"Modern anaesthesia: Demonstrated in Boston in the 1840s, years before Britain released Mrs Brown’s Boys."}],[{"start":206.8,"text":"The Marshall Plan: Those were the days!"}],[{"start":210.05,"text":"Mass advertising: America wasn’t first but it made it all its own. They also pioneered soap operas and invented all of the major American sports just to have places to show their commercials. It is so all-American they even make movies about how companies secured sponsorship deals. Matt Damon was once Jason Bourne, now he’s the all-action exec who signed Michael Jordan for Nike."}],[{"start":234.65,"text":"Cholesterol: Technically a French discovery, but America really did the hard yards on bringing it to the people."}],[{"start":241.6,"text":"Capitalism: Well this predates the US. But you have to admit they’re not bad at it. Mind you, Financial crashes: 1857, 1929, 1987, the 2000 dotcom bubble, 2008. The US does them bigger and better."}],[{"start":258.15,"text":"Apple: Other countries invent things, but only Apple products come with a rounded bezel."}],[{"start":264.2,"text":"Gun deaths and school shootings: Again, an absolute world leader."}],[{"start":268.95,"text":"Freedom, justice and the American way: We look forward to its return. "}],[{"start":280,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1783152589_1500.mp3"}