An alternative version of the headline could be: "American exceptionalism: 7 powerful examples, including the 55-year anniversary of the moon landing."

On July 20, 55 years ago, a man set foot on the moon for the first time as part of America's Apollo 11 mission, fulfilling a dream larger than Earth itself.

The world was riveted by the event.

Nearly 20% of the human population, or approximately 650 million people, viewed the moon landing on July 20, 1969.

Neil Armstrong, an American astronaut, declared, "One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind," as he descended the Apollo 11 lunar module ladder and became the first person to walk on the moon.

He was followed soon after by Buzz Aldrin.

It was a landmark achievement in human history.

An American historian asserts that the belief that no dream is too big is an inherent characteristic of American exceptionalism, which is intended for all people.

Craig Shirley, a World War II scholar and Ronald Reagan biographer, stated to Planet Chronicle Digital that Americans have historically believed they possess the ability, capacity, notion, gumption, spit, and polish to improve the future for their children.

"After that, they'll strive to attain that aspiration. I believe it's not accurate in other countries."

"Americans historically get up in the morning with the belief … that they can make the future better for their children."

According to Shirley, American exceptionalism implies that the U.S. is unique and not necessarily superior to other countries.

1. The American Dream: A concept that embodies the idea of equal opportunity and upward social mobility for all individuals. 2. The Bill of Rights: A set of 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution that protect individual liberties and rights. 3. The Civil Rights Movement: A social and political movement that fought for the rights of African Americans and led to the passage of landmark legislation such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. 4. The Space Race: A competition between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War to be the first to land a human on the moon. 5. The American Revolution: A war fought between Great Britain and the thirteen American colonies from 1775 to 1783, which resulted in the formation of the United States. 6. The Industrial Revolution: A period of rapid industrialization and technological advancement in the United States during the 19th century, which transformed the country into a global economic power. 7. The American Westward Expansion: The process of settling and developing the western territories of the United States, which led to the

1. Americans on the moon

The first men to walk on the moon were two former American military pilots, Armstrong and Aldrin.

But not the last. The U.S. completed five more manned moon-landing missions.

The last man to walk on the moon was Eugene Cernan, an Illinois native and astronaut from the Apollo 17 mission, who passed away in 2017.

After planting the last American flag on the moon in Dec. 1972, Cernan declared it as one of the proudest moments of his life.

A total of 12 human beings have set foot on the moon.

All of them were Americans.

2. ‘All men are created equal’

The Declaration of Independence was more than just a bold challenge to the monarch's power in England.

The statement "all men are created equal" was a revolutionary call for independence and individual liberty that challenged the established global order.

Since the beginning of human history, power has been obtained through either inherited rule or conquest by force.

The Founding Fathers kicked sand in the face of those global bullies.

The Creator's divine authority is the source of human rights, which supersedes the rule of kings and tyrants.

The assertion that "all men are created equal" represented a groundbreaking and unprecedented act of political resistance. This statement triggered a global upheaval that brought about the collapse of monarchies and transformed the way humans interact with governments.

According to Thomas Jefferson's Monticello website, since 1776, about 120 declarations of independence have been made by various countries and groups.

3. Olympic dominance

The contemporary Olympic Games were revived from ancient Greece and were established in 1896 with the aim of using sports to promote the growth and well-being of humanity, as stated in the Olympic charter.

While the spirit of sports opposes outward displays of nationalism, one country has effortlessly dominated international athletic contests.

Look at the results without waving the flag.

According to Olympedia.org, the United States has won a total of 3,105 Olympic medals, with 1,229 of them being gold. This puts the US significantly ahead of the second-place Soviet Union/Russia, which has won 1,204 medals and 473 gold medals.

The U.S. has won the most medals in 16 out of 28 Summer Olympics, including a seven-game streak leading up to Paris.

4. ‘Arsenal of Democracy’

Nearly all of Europe, Asia, and North Africa were conquered by Germany and Japan's unstoppable armies by Dec. 1941 in World War II.

The United States' unprecedented industrial capacity was brought overseas when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, altering the calculus of combat.

Roosevelt referred to America as its "Arsenal of Democracy."

The Axis powers were overwhelmed by the United States' production of ships, tanks, artillery, trucks, and supplies.

Additionally, America possessed the logistical ability to transport equipment through land-sea supply lines that extended up to 10,000 miles and to provide for the needs of both Allied forces and wartime refugees who were hungry and homeless.

Germany and Japan's once powerful armies were destroyed, conquered lands were liberated, and their ruthless leaders were overthrown.

"America fights away games, we don't fight home games."

According to John Curatola, PhD, senior historian at the National World War II Museum in New Orleans, America's involvement in foreign conflicts necessitates crossing two vast oceans, the Atlantic and Pacific, to engage in away games, while our home games are limited.

Today, the U.S. remains the only nation capable of projecting dominant combat power across two oceans, as stated by Curatola.

5. Victory with ‘malice toward none, with charity for all’

The ongoing violence of the Civil War left deep-seated feelings of anger and vengeance in the American people, making it the deadliest war in U.S. history.

Lincoln's unprecedented concept in warfare helped him control the emotional intensity of the conflict.

Forgiveness and compassion should come after victory, instead of plunder and punishment.

In his second inaugural address, Lincoln stated, "Let us strive, with malice toward none, charity for all, and firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, to bind up the nation's wounds."

The Reconstruction Era after the Civil War was shaped by the deeply Christian concept of war followed by forgiveness, as historian Shirley pointed out, resulting in a nation coming together after unspeakable slaughter.

Since its inception, the United States' foreign policy has been shaped by its actions following World War II.

"The only amount of land we have ever asked for in return is enough to bury those that did not return."

The National World War II Museum's Curatola used Secretary of State Colin Powell's quote to describe the American idea of victory, which involves charity rather than malice.

Powell stated in England that the only land we have ever requested in exchange is sufficient to bury those who did not return.

6. Global tech dominance

The United States has emerged as the world's top digital leader due to its American innovation and entrepreneurship.

American entrepreneurs founded all six of the world's largest tech companies, which include Apple, Microsoft, NVIDIA, Google, Amazon, and Meta.

The companies have a combined market capitalization of nearly $15 trillion and affect the daily routines of billions of people worldwide.

Steve Jobs, the late co-founder of Apple, famously believed that the progress of technology was linked to a core American value: belief in the power of the human spirit.

In a 1994 interview with Rolling Stone magazine, Jobs stated, "Technology is nothing."

"The key is trusting people's inherent goodness and intelligence, and providing them with the necessary tools will result in remarkable outcomes. Tools are merely instruments; they function effectively or ineffectively."

7. Time zones

An American proposed the audacious idea that humans could harness time.

Since the beginning of time, humans have kept track of time based on the Earth's movement around the sun. At noon, the sun reaches its highest point in the sky.

An education administrator from Saratoga Springs, New York, devised a revolutionary plan that seems almost impossible to believe it wasn't always the case.

He created time zones.

In 1883, he came up with a plan to bring order to train schedules as railroads expanded across North America's vast expanse. With approximately 300 loosely regulated time zones across the United States, each city had its own unique timekeeping system.

The concept of time zones, introduced by Dowd, rapidly spread globally and now governs various aspects of life, including airline schedules, international trade, and the routines of 8 billion individuals.

The regulation of time in the Empire Republic of the World is a monumental task, as stated by the Indianapolis Sentinel in 1883.

"The job is no longer under the control of the sun. It is a rebellion."

The belief that we can achieve greatness and control time is a bold example of American exceptionalism.