1

Shaquille O'Neal

Image: Kylie Osullivan

Shaquille O'Neal is definitely one of the biggest stars in sports, nationally and globally recognized. But his talent seems to go beyond the courts!

Shaq is also very good at school: In the 2000s, he graduated from Louisiana State University with a degree in General Studies (Minor in Political Science). A few years later, he earned a Master of Business Administration from the University of Phoenix. And if that wasn't enough, he completed a Doctorate of Education from Barry University in 2012.

2

Jodie Foster

Image: Antonio Scalogna

Among other unforgettable roles, Jodie Foster is the actress who brought to life the character of Clarice Starling, who interviewed the fearsome Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs (1991). Do you remember her?

Like her character in that iconic film, Jodie Foster is also very smart. In fact, she graduated with the highest honor from Yale University in 1985 with a Bachelor's degree in Literature.

3

Conan O'Brien

Image: Ioann-Mark Kuznietsov

Conan O'Brien, the famous host of Late Night with Conan O'Brien, is widely recognized for his long career as a comedian, screenwriter, TV host, and producer.

But while his witty humor always gets a laugh, that doesn't mean Conan can't take some things seriously. And he did so with his college career: In 1985, he graduated with high honors from Harvard University with a Bachelor's degree in History and Literature.

4

David Duchovny

Image: Brice Cooper

We would all immediately recognize the face of the actor who played the unforgettable Fox Mulder in The X-Files . Of course, we're talking about David Duchovny, who, in addition to playing Mulder, also gave life to other great characters in different series and shows.

Just like his most famous character, David Duchovny also has a brilliant mind that led him to get a Bachelor's degree in English Literature from Princeton University and a Master's degree in English Literature from Yale. He was also on his way to earning a Ph.D. when acting entered his life.

5

Lionel Richie

Image: Clo Art

Lionel Richie is the artist we have to thank for unforgettable 80s hits like "Endless Love," "All Night Long (All Night)," and "Hello." But his beginnings were far removed from music and much closer to the world of numbers.

In 1974, he graduated from Tuskegee Institute (now Tuskegee University) with a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics and a Minor in Accounting.

6

Dwayne Johnson

Image: Victor Freitas

Dwayne Johnson, known to all as "The Rock," isn't just one of Hollywood's highest-paid actors; he's also a former professional wrestling superstar. However, his achievements don't end there!

The Rock isn't just known for his powerful body; he also has a sharp mind, which led him to graduate from the University of Miami with a Bachelor of General Studies and a Dual Major in Criminology and Physiology.

7

Lisa Kudrow

Image: Ilse Orsel

We all fondly remember the endearing Phoebe Buffay, one of the funniest characters on Friends, brought to life by Lisa Kudrow. But before discovering her passion and succeeding in acting, Kudrow had considered pursuing a completely different path.

From a young age, Lisa Kudrow had a strong interest in science, which led her to graduate from Vassar College with a degree in Biology!

8

Natalie Portman

Image: Leon Wu

Natalie Portman is a recognized name for her roles in major films such as V for Vendetta , Black Swan , and also Star Wars. But Portman is not only talented and beautiful; she is also very smart! As her fame grew, she successfully balanced her acting career with her studies. In 2003, she graduated from Harvard University with a degree in Psychology!

9

Mayim Bialik

Image: Ben Griffiths

Mayim Bialik won our hearts playing Amy Farrah-Fowler, the quirky girlfriend of the also quirky Sheldon Cooper on The Big Bang Theory .

Her character on the show has a sky-high IQ, and so does she in real life! Mayim Bialik graduated with the highest honors from the University of California, Los Angeles, with a Bachelor's degree in Neuroscience. But that wasn't enough for her: A few years later, she also earned a Ph.D. in the same field.

10

Cole Sprouse

Image: Trnava University

One of the youngest on this list, Cole Sprouse is an actor who, along with his twin brother Dylan, started his career as a child on Disney Channel's The Suite Life of Zack & Cody.

But acting wasn't Cole's only interest. In addition to demonstrating great skills as a photographer, Cole Sprouse graduated from New York University (NYU) in 2015 with a degree in nothing less than Archaeology!

1

Pancakes

Image: Ala

Imagine you are a tourist in Michigan and decide to go for pancakes. You enter a suitable establishment, sit at the counter, and ask… what, exactly? Yes, most people call them pancakes, and there is a fair chance that you will receive just that without further questions, but if you want to speak like a local, you will ask for flapjacks .

The "flap" part of flapjack is derived from the word the British used to mean "flip." As for the "jack" part, historians say it may refer to the small size of the pancake because "jack" referred to something that was small. You’ll hear pancakes more in the North and flapjacks in the South, but there are exceptions, such as the Flapjack Shack in Traverse City, Michigan.

2

Dessert Toppings

Image: Kate Trysh

For many Americans, dessert toppings for ice creams and milkshakes are like cheese on a pizza: a must. If you happen to be one of them and are visiting New England, you should know that the local word for toppings is " with jimmies. "

Jimmies are a subgroup of the larger category of dessert toppings known as sprinkles, although people across the U.S. might use the terms interchangeably. Jimmies are cylindrical sprinkles, but some people use the word to refer specifically to chocolate or colored varieties. As for round sprinkles, they are technically marketed as nonpareils.

3

Cold Sandwiches

Image: Allen Rad

The word "sandwich" has come to represent practically any food that is stuffed between two pieces of bread and can be eaten—usually—with your hands. But in certain regions of America, this ubiquitous food item goes by different names.

Pennsylvania has its own term: hoagie . Back in the day, the Italian-American community lived in an area called Hog Island, and local cooks were known for their big "Hog Island Sandwiches," which eventually became known as "hoagies." In New England, many people call a sandwich a grinder . That’s because it’s traditionally made from Italian bread, which has a thicker crust than the typical sandwich bread.

4

Stuffing or Dressing?

Image: Louis Hansel

In the northern parts of the U.S., stuffing refers to the thick mixture of seasoned breadcrumbs or croutons often used to fill poultry dishes.

But, in the southern parts of the country, the word used to describe that is dressing . Yes, the same word that is used in the North to describe any kind of liquid topping for salads. It can be confusing, right?

5

Pop or Soda?

Image: Taylor Swayze

Soft drinks are referred to by different names in different parts of the country. If you are on the East Coast, along the Illinois-Missouri border, in southeastern Wisconsin, California, or nearby areas, you probably call it soda .

However, if you are from the Great Plains region or the Midwest, you likely refer to it as pop . And, if you refer to it as Coke or cola —whether it’s Coca-Cola or something else—you’re most likely from the South.

6

Jelly donuts as Bismarck

Image: Leon Ephraïm

Jelly donuts are quintessentially American. These delicious pastries filled with sweet jelly are everywhere—and for good reason. However, in the midwestern region of the country, as well as in Alberta and Saskatchewan in Canada, jelly donuts have a different name altogether.

That is because the German immigrants who settled in the region named the dessert "Bismarck" after the 19th-century Prussian chancellor, Otto von Bismarck because those pastries were a favorite snack of his.

7

Milkshakes as "frappes"

Image: Sebastian Coman Photography

A milkshake and a frappe are pretty much the same thing across most of the country—and even the world, we dare say. However, that’s not the case in New England. If you were to ask for a milkshake in that area, you would receive a slightly different—but equally delicious—beverage.

Nearly everywhere else in the U.S., a milkshake is made with milk, ice cream, and syrup blended together. But in New England, that's a recipe for a frappe . A milkshake in that part of America consists of just milk and syrup, shaken or blended until a foamy head appears.

8

Casseroles as a hotdish

Image: sheri silver

A casserole is a warm dish made by layering meat, vegetables, and noodles, along with a can of condensed soup thrown into the mix and then taken to the oven. However, in Minnesota, that same recipe is called a hot dish.

According to Howard Mohr, author of How to Talk Minnesotan , "A traditional main course, hotdish is cooked and served hot in a single baking dish and commonly appears at family reunions and church suppers."

9

Poached Egg vs. Dropped Egg

Image: Unsplash

New England has appeared a couple of times already on this list, and it’s about to make another appearance. In most parts of the country, the cooking technique of gently dropping an egg into boiling water is called "poaching an egg."

But in New England, the name for this technique has a much more literal term, calling this particular preparation a dropped egg .

10

Peppers and Mangoes

Image: Paul Morley

We’ll close this list with perhaps the most curious case of regional naming we came across. In the Midwestern region of the country, a "mango" does not refer to the tropical fruit commonly known as a mango.

Instead, if a midwesterner asks for a mango at a local grocery store, they will receive a mild, green bell pepper . The suggested explanation for this is that as green bell peppers ripen, they develop red-gold splotches that make them look similar to mangos.

1

Hamburger

Image: Carles Rabada

Due to their popularity and widespread appeal, hamburgers are considered an unofficial national dish of the United States, and there’s good reason for this. It's hard to think of a more American dish than a hamburger, right?

Well, hamburgers may be a national treasure today, but their very name gives us a clue about their true origin: Germany’s Hamburg .

2

Hot dogs

Image: Peter Secan

Few things are as American as buying a hot dog from a street vendor and enjoying it in the sun, right? Well, not exactly. The more formal names of the humble hot dog—frankfurters and Vienna sausages—give us, once again, a hint about their German and Austrian true origin.

3

French fries

Image: Elizabeth Jamieson

While French fries have been a national staple for quite some time, their very name also gives away their foreign origin. There is an ongoing debate about whether these fries are actually French or Belgian , but in any case, these delicious bits of joy are not American.

4

Mustard

Image: Peter Werkman

Mustard, the first of many popular condiments cherished by Americans, was first consumed by the Egyptians in its original seed form and later by the Romans as the paste we most commonly use today.

5

Ketchup

Image: Dennis Klein

Another condiment that is at least as popular as mustard in America, if not more, ketchup originated as a Chinese fermented fish sauce called "kê-tsiap." Over time, the sauce evolved, leaving the fish behind and replacing it with tomatoes to become the ketchup we know today.

6

Pickles

Image: Mehmet Uzut

Another food highly appreciated on American soil is pickles. Whether on burgers, served as a side with sandwiches, chopped into relish for hot dogs, or enjoyed in many other ways, these vinegar-soaked cucumbers are a staple of our cuisine. But multiple records trace the origin of these treats as far as ancient Egypt , where even Cleopatra was rumored to love them.

7

Apple pie

Image: Priscilla Du Preez 🇨🇦

This may be shocking to some, but alas, it is true: the quintessentially American apple pie is not really American. The earliest known recipes for apple pie belong to the ancient Greeks . And Dutch bakers created the modern version of the pie in the 15th century.

8

Mac and cheese

Image: Hermes Rivera

Thomas Jefferson is often credited with inventing macaroni and cheese after bringing back a macaroni machine from a trip to Europe, but he was not the first to come up with the idea.

The original recipe for macaroni baked with cheese sauce first appeared in the 14th-century cookbook Liber de Coquina, which is believed to have been written by an Italian author.

9

Bacon

Image: Casey DeViese

Nobody "invented" bacon, right? It’s just a piece of meat. The origins can be traced back to the ancient world, where curing and preserving pork became a common practice. But, as it happens, most sources agree that the Celts were the first to prepare and cook it in the way we do today.

10

Meatloaf

Image: RitaE

A humble recipe, for sure, meatloaf was made in Medieval Europe from scraps of meat held together by fruits, nuts, and seasonings. It was created to stretch leftover beef or create a more substantial meal from less expensive cuts of meat.

11

Mayonnaise

Image: May_hokkaido

The third and final condiment on our list is another American staple, even though its French name might give us a pretty straightforward idea of its origin. But it's not that simple.

The French mayonnaise is likely derived from Spanish versions of aioli, which is a garlic mayonnaise.

12

Barbecue

Image: Andrik Langfield

Surely, something as American as a barbecue must be a local invention, right? Wrong, again. Known as "barbacoa" in the West Indies long before it became popular in America, barbecues have been around for a long time. Even the modern barbecue, with spice-rubbed meat slowly cooked over a fire and topped with sauce, originated in the Caribbean .