Harold Lloyd hanging off the face of the clock

Los Angeles, CA (Anywhere, USA)

Lloyd climbing up a building is the essential metaphor of American progress, as an individual and as a society. And to pile irony on top of irony, the penultimate trial puts him in conflict with a clock, the symbol of time, time that could be slipping away before he has become a success and married the girl. People who have never seen this film or any silent comedy at all recognize this powerful American image.

Kerr (pronounced "Care")

Gateway Arch

St. Louis, MO

It seemed a given when i moved to St. Louis in 2001, but there is nothing so radical and modern as the Gateway Arch. Designed by Eero Saarineen in 1947 and built in 1965, it was protested at the time (Percy Green climbed the arch to fight unfair construction-hiring practices), but is now at the center of a reinvention; or at least the surrounding area which was at the center of a national competition. And going up the tram inside is scary.

Jim

A Confederacy of Dunces

New Orleans, LA

The way that this book came about -- the suicide of the author and his mother championing it -- along with its influence, its voice, and the dozen-odd failed attempts to film it make for an incredible story. That doesn't even begin to touch the book itself which is one of the best-written works I've ever had the pleasure of reading.

Mike

Frank J.Schildt

Baltimore, MD

Because my father influenced indirectly the works of Bob Dylan,Peter,Paul,and Mary,by organizing and running the Hootenanny in the Folk clubs during the early to mid 1960's,and as a performer strive to not only promote others,but he himself didn't seek fame as a result of his selfish actions of which I'm proud of what he accomplished as not only an International Troubadour,but a Folkways record artist,but as a father as well as a friend.
Signed
Christiaan C.Schildt
Son of the Late Frank J.Schildt

Christiaan

Hoover Dam

Boulder City, NV

The greatest American public work of all time and a symbol of American know-how risen from the depths of the great depression, as depicted in the book "Colossus: Hoover Dam and the Making of the American Century"

Michael

Beer

Everywhere

From immigration (Eastern European neighborhoods supporting small breweries that stand at the literal center of their communities) to industrialization (Gilded Age Beer Barons centralize and mechanize production) to globalization (the Baron's legacies are bought by foreign companies or they buy other nation's breweries), beer maps and shapes America's trajectory. It was brewed by presidents and Black Panthers alike. Beer raised money to build Yankee Stadium, it put Amos 'n' Andy on the air, and it changed the constitution ...twice. Beer is how we celebrate, how we watch sports, and why we swear never to drink it again after celebrating and watching sports. As Homer Simpson said it best: it's "The cause of, and solution to, all of life's problems."

Nate

Battle Hymn of the Republic

Florida

"This has been sung as an American hymn in this form since 1861. It has been a rallying song for our nation since the Civil War.

Patricia

The Kentucky Derby

Louisville, KY

That this is an American Icon speaks for itself. The yearly race is world famous and is one of the most oldest and enduring sporting events in the United States. Ask almost anyone to name a horse race and they'll name the Kentucky Derby first.

Paul

Mark Twain House

Hartford, CT

This house captures the spirit and personality of America's greatest social observer and reporter.

Dwight

Graceland

Memphis, Tennessee

Home of great American King of Rock n Roll, Elvis--and name of greatest Paul Simon album ever. A magical seeming place that shows the how America loves to build a shrine to its heroes.

Shulie

Walden Pond

Concord, Mass.

Walden Pond inspired Thoreau more than a century ago. And even though the suburban sprawl of Boston, highway traffic and real estate development and tourists have all encroached on Thoreau's Concord, a visit there today still invokes his sense of getting away from the hurly burly of daily life. If you take a walk around the pond and visit the replica of Thoreau's cabin, you can see what he saw.

Michael

Walt Disney

Disneyland, CA

Walt Disney has been of part of American culture for decades from his cartoon characters to his theme parks in California and Florida.

Charles

PBS documentary series - An American Family

CA

I believe that the American Icon series is compelling because it examines the nuanced nature of each "icon," candidly acknowledging and exploring the shades of grey. Some consider An American Family a pre-cursor to our present and popular reality TV; its popularity reveals much about our collective voyeurism. Are we attempting to bolster our sense of normalcy, inferiority, or superiority? Fascinating and provocative stuff.

M.A.

Star Trek - The Original Series

Los Angeles, CA

As campy and low-tech as the TV series might have been, Star Trek really was a show that could originate "only in America." With a spirit of exploration akin to exploring the American West a century earlier, Star Trek looked forward to the frontier of outer space. It looked beyond the Cold War to a future where technology was commonplace, and a generation of engineers and scientists from NASA to Microsoft have cited it as an inspiration for their life's work.

Kenneth

Martin Guitar

Nazareth PA

Premier builder of fine acoustic music makers

Jack

Dee Brown

buried in Urbana, IL

A white librarian, historian, novelist, and author of 30 books, Dee Brown became interested in the history of Native Americans and penned strong books giving the Indian view of American expansionism. His history of <how the west was won>, "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee," has not been out of print since it was first published in 1970, and has been translated into several languages. Perhaps his most famous novel, "Creek Mary's Blood," follows 5 generations of an Indian family from 1700 and from Georgia to a Sioux reservation in South Dakota.

Pat

Green Bay Packers

Green Bay, WI

The Packers are the only non-profit, community-owned franchise in American professional sports major leagues. The shareholders implemented a clause that restricts the ability to sell the team away from Green Bay. Shareholders are no longer just in Green Bay -- they now exist all over the U.S. and no one shareholder can own a majority of the shares. The Packers are the third-oldest franchise in the NFL (founded in 1919, before the NFL was begun), and "Green Bay Packers" is the oldest team-name still in use in the NFL.

Pat

Airstream Travel Trailer

Jackson Center Ohio

Airstrams have been building family's and family memories for over three quarters of a century. They were even the center piece of the Lucy and Ricky movie The Long Long Trailer (1953). The majority of Airstreams ever produced are still in service. They can be found in every National Park, remote mountain stream or lake, movie stars location abode, in rural and urban settings. They serve and long or short term housing for many.

Tony

The American Teen

Nantucket Ma.

The American Teen is like no other teen in the world. Sometimes pampered, sculpted and or groomed or left to run wild, The American Teen has seems to be often capture the image that other many cultures wish to emulate. The embodyment of the American Icon, the American Teen says/ has it all.

Tim

Coca Cola

World wide

World wide availability & recognition, spanning generations, with over whelming positive reception...

Geordie