1

Table manners

Image: Mika Baumeister

If you're dining out in Canada, don't be surprised if you hear someone ask for a "serviette." It might sound really fancy, but it's just the Canadian way of saying what Americans call a "napkin!"

2

Leftovers confusion

Image: Henry Kobutra

When it's time to clear the table and clean the dishes, things can get confusing between Americans and Canadians. In the US, you'll hear "throw the leftovers in the garbage disposal," but up north in Canada, it's called the "Garburator."

Though it might sound like they’re talking about two different things, it’s the same device—just different names!

3

Let's run

Image: Bruno Nascimento

Both Canadians and Americans use the term "running shoes" to mean athletic shoes designed for jogging or exercise. But there's one word that sets them apart: "runners."

In Canada, "runners" are what you wear on your feet. In the US, they are the people wearing them!

4

A matter of power

Image: Mike Winkler

What do you call that thing you use to plug in several devices at once? Your answer might reveal where you're from. If you say "power strip," chances are you're American. But if you call it a "power bar," you're probably Canadian!

5

Rubber bands

Image: Andres Siimon

They're small but super handy, so it's worth knowing what to call them no matter where you are! In Canada, people ask for "elastics" when they need to bundle papers or bills. But ask for "elastics" in the US, and you might get a confused look. Americans almost always just call them "rubber bands" instead.

6

Colorful vocabulary

Image: Sara Torda

Coloring was undoubtedly one of the most delightful parts of childhood, and some people still enjoy it as adults! If you're one of them, you probably have a good collection of colored pencils. But if you're in Canada and need to buy some, keep in mind they call them "pencil crayons" up there.

7

It's all about gas

Image: Ali Mkumbwa

In both the United States and Canada, a "gas station" is the place where you stop to fill up your car with fuel. But while that term is widely understood and used in both countries, in some regions of Canada, you might also hear it referred to as a "gas bar."

8

Park…

Image: John Matychuk

If you’re Canadian, don’t ask an American where the "parkade" is— they’ll probably look confused . While "parkade" is perfectly normal in Canada, Americans usually say "parking garage," "parking deck," or just "parking lot."

9

Sweet words

Image: NordWood Themes

Those delicious brownies wouldn't be the same without a nice layer of powdered sugar on top, right? And while we can agree on how tasty it is, we don't all agree on what to call it. Here, it is "confectioners' sugar" or simply "powdered sugar," but in Canada, they prefer another name for the same product: "icing sugar."

10

Folder/ Duotang

Image: Savannah Wakefield

Remember that school folder with metal prongs to hold your papers, the ones you could easily add or remove pages from? In the US, we just call it a "pronged folder." But in Canada, they have a totally different name for it: they call it a "duotang!" Have you ever heard of that one?

1

Roswell Incident (New Mexico, 1947)

It was July 1947 when something extraordinary happened near Roswell, New Mexico: a mysterious, large object crashed on a ranch outside the town. It wasn't an airplane, it wasn't a helicopter, it didn't resemble any known aircraft at the time. Interestingly, the military first described it as a "flying disc," only to later retract the statement and claim it was just a weather balloon. This shift caused endless theories and made Roswell perhaps the most famous UFO story of all time.

2

Kenneth Arnold Sighting (Washington, 1947)

No one knows the skies better than pilots, and in June 1947, one of them, Kenneth Arnold, saw something that would change the way we think about extraterrestrial life. According to his report, Arnold spotted nine bright objects moving near Mount Rainier, Washington. He described their flight as being like "a saucer skipping across water." That phrase would go on to coin the term "flying saucer," marking what many consider the beginning of the modern UFO era.

3

Washington, DC, Flap (1952)

Do you think UFO sightings only happen in rural or remote areas? Between July 12 and 29, 1952, something unexplainable occurred over Washington, DC. People in the US capital reported seeing mysterious objects moving randomly in the sky. But that wasn't all; pilots and even radar stations reported the same. While the US Air Force suggested that temperature might have affected radar performance, the sightings were never fully and clearly explained.

4

Kelly-Hopkinsville Encounter (Kentucky, 1955)

On August 21, 1955, two families in rural Kelly, Kentucky, experienced something straight out of their wildest nightmares. In the evening, a bright, fleeting light appeared in the sky. According to their reports to the police, the light was followed by the arrival of small creatures with large eyes and long arms, described as "little green men," who allegedly approached their homes and peered through the windows. Terrified, the families shot at them for nearly four hours, until the "little green men" finally seemed to disappear. When police arrived the next day, the houses were empty. According to neighbors, both families had packed up and left, saying the creatures had returned around 3 a.m.

5

Kecksburg UFO Incident (Pennsylvania, 1965)

We all know what to do when we see a shooting star: make a wish! But that was far from the reaction in Kecksburg, Pennsylvania, where on December 9, 1965, residents watched what looked like a massive fireball streak across the night sky before crashing into a forest on the town’s outskirts. Some people rushed to the site and claimed they saw a large metallic object shaped like an acorn. The military arrived soon after and launched an investigation that suggested it may have been a meteor or space debris. But the doubters were not convinced, and the event sparked a wave of theories and speculation that continues to this day.

6

Coyne Helicopter Incident (Ohio, 1973)

On October 18, 1973, near Mansfield, Ohio, something occurred that would challenge even the most stubborn skeptics. Captain Lawrence Coyne was piloting a US Army Reserve helicopter when it was allegedly intercepted by a large, cigar-shaped craft flying erratically at high speed and emitting green and red lights. During the encounter, the helicopter suddenly ascended beyond Coyne’s control. People on the ground witnessed the event and later confirmed parts of the pilot’s account. To this day, the incident remains unexplained.

7

Cash–Landrum Incident (Texas, 1980)

The ’80s were a wild decade, and that even included alleged encounters with alien spacecraft! In December 1980, three people reported a terrifying experience while driving through Texas: they were suddenly forced to stop when a huge craft hovered over the highway. According to their account, the metallic object emitted bright lights and intense heat. Later, all three developed physical symptoms, including burns, nausea, vomiting, and hair loss. Medical reports suggested these effects were consistent with prolonged radiation exposure, although it could not be proven that the incident itself caused the symptoms.

8

Hudson Valley UFO Wave (New York, 1982-1986)

An isolated UFO sighting involving just a few people is one thing. But it’s quite another when, for years, hundreds of people report sightings in the same place with similar characteristics. We’re talking about New York’s Hudson Valley, where for several years (1982–1986), residents, police officers, and even pilots reported UFO sightings. Many described the same thing: a large craft with a V-shaped row of lights that moved strangely and flew very low, sometimes even approaching houses. While some skeptics claimed they were planes flying in formation, witnesses didn’t fully accept this explanation.

9

Phoenix Lights (Arizona, 1997)

If one person’s sighting seems hard to believe, maybe the testimony of thousands will convince you. In March 1997, one of the most famous UFO events witnessed by large groups occurred. Thousands of people reported seeing the same phenomenon in the skies over Arizona, Nevada, and Mexico: a formation of lights moving silently and strangely across the night sky. Even Fife Symington, the then-governor of Arizona, later claimed he had seen the lights himself.

10

O'Hare Airport Sighting (Illinois, 2006)

If your skepticism has lasted this long, the next story might make you rethink everything. In November 2006, a large group of pilots, mechanics, and airline staff spotted a metallic, disc-shaped object hovering above United Airlines Gate C17 at O’Hare International Airport just outside Chicago. Witnesses say the object punched a circular hole in the clouds before shooting off. The FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) initially called it a "meteorological phenomenon," but later-released ATC audio reveals tower and ground staff discussing the object in total confusion.

1

Titanic & The Music Man

Image: Copyright © 1962 Warner Bros. Pictures Distributing Corporation - Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

It is common knowledge that Titanic (1997), starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, fictionalizes the true story of the sinking of the British ocean liner that collided with an iceberg in the North Atlantic.

The Music Man (1962), on the other hand, is a musical that tells the story of a salesman who tries to convince the residents of a small town in Iowa to start a musical band. Although the two films are set miles apart and their characters are very different, they both take place in the same year: 1912. Fascinating, don't you think?

2

Mary Poppins & The Wild Bunch

Image: From the studio of John Schwartz., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Early twentieth-century London, a vibrant, sprawling city, has almost nothing in common with the wild U.S.-Mexico frontier of the same era. Yet the tender Mary Poppins (1964) and the epic revisionist Western The Wild Bunch (1969) take place during virtually the same years. Despite being vastly different stories, the two films share a similar theme: the concept of outsiders navigating a world of change and challenges.

3

There Will Be Blood & Meet Me in St. Louis

Image: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (Loew's Inc.), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

What do a Christmas musical from 1944 and a 2007 drama film have in common? They both portray the early years of the 20th century!

While There Will Be Blood is a dark film that focuses on the California oil rush, Meet Me in St. Louis , starring the iconic Judy Garland, portrays the well-to-do life of an upper-middle-class Missouri family. Watching these two films truly paints a picture of what America was like at this time in its history.

4

Grease & Malcolm X

Image: Library of Congress

Two other films that offer their version of American life during a specific era are Grease (1978) and Malcolm X (1992). Both take place around 1958, but couldn't be more different.

Grease , a romantic musical with gelled hairdos and poodle skirts, portrays a group of teenagers more concerned with leather jackets, rock and roll, and fashionable cars than anything else. Malcom X , on the contrary, is based on the biography of the famous African-American activist, and dives deep into the history of the civil rights movement.

5

Barry Lyndon & Pirates of the Caribbean

Image: William Hogarth, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The story of a young Irishman trying to climb the ladder of British high society can't be too different from that of a pirate sailing through dangerous waters. However, although Barry Lyndon (1975) and Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011) take place in the 1750s, they are very dissimilar films.

While Pirates of the Caribbean is a fantasy adventure franchise chronicling the adventures of the endearing Jack Sparrow, the historic drama directed by Stanley Kubrick won four Academy Awards and is considered one of the greatest films ever made.

6

The Godfather: Part II & 1917

Image: Ernest Brooks, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The year is 1917, and a young Vito Corleone takes his first steps in the criminal world in his native Sicily. Meanwhile, in northern France, a young British soldier is sent on a mission to save his brother.

1917 (2019) is inspired by the true story of World War I battles, and The Godfather: Part II (1974) is based on the fictional story written by Mario Puzo about a gangster family. Both films, however, portray the same period of European history, an era that had a huge impact on American society.

7

Jobs & 2001: A Space Odyssey

Image: Niketh Vellanki

Surely, when Stanley Kubrick directed 2001: A Space Odyssey, he was envisioning a more advanced future. But the truth is that the real 2001 was marked, among other things, by the launch of Apple's iPod.

The film Jobs (2013) begins precisely with Steve Jobs' presentation of the device that would forever change the way we listen to music. Intergalactic travel as a common currency will have to wait a few more years. Yet, to be fair, HAL 9000 is pretty much like the artificial intelligences we have today —let's just hope they don't betray us!

8

The sound of music & Harlem Nights

Image: Sanja Lazic

While a young governess falls in love with Captain von Trapp with the Austrian Alps as a backdrop, on the other side of the Atlantic, a nightclub owner in Harlem must face powerful gangsters to stay in business.

Although they may seem like two incompatible plots, The Sound of Music (1965) and Harlem Nights (1989) both take place in 1938, when the United States was recovering from the Great Depression and Europe was at the dawn of the Second World War. Two opposite views of the world.

9

13 Going on 30 & The Wolf of Wall Street

Image: engin akyurt

One is an innocent romantic comedy full of '80s pop culture references, and the other is a dark, full of foul language and racy scenes, portrait of the years when yuppies and stockbrokers dominated the New York scene. Yet, both 13 Going on 30 (2004) and The Wolf of Wall Street (2013) take place in 1987. Have you ever thought about it?

10

Hairspray & The Shape of Water

Image: Larissa Megale

The interesting thing about these two films is that they not only take place in the same year—1962—, but also in the same ‘place’: Baltimore, Maryland.

Hairspray (1988), a cult comedy directed by John Waters, tells the story of young Tracy Turnbland's quest to be taken seriously in an audition for a popular show for young dancers. The Shape of Water , on the other hand, is a fantasy film that portrays the love story between a mute woman and a humanoid amphibian. Two very different plots that offer a glimpse of what life was like in America during the Cold War.