What is the ONE thing that propelled the United States to the top?

[GhostZ06]

TESS the planet hunting telescope is getting launched at the end of this year. A new Mars lander in May of next year, the Sun probe in July, new heavy rockets that will take a trip around the Moon in October, and the James Webb Telescope is getting launched in October as well.
Voyager 1 & 2 and New Horizons are still heading out of the solar system, Curiosity is still running around Mars, Cassani is orbiting Saturn, Juno is doing fly by's of Jupiter, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter is still going, and DAWN is still orbiting Ceres. There's the NuStar, Kepler, and Hubble telescopes that are still up.
And that's just NASA. That's not including Space-X, the Planetary Society, or Blue Orgins. Yeah, our space program is garbage....
You have to remember, NASA is having a hard time procuring Plutonium. The DOE isn't making enough and the Russians are running out of it as well so we can't buy it from them anymore. Almost everything that goes past Mars is nuclear powered.

well i havent made a thread yet, but it looks like we might see a nuclear powered rocket soon

 

[lifelessheap]

Mostly geographical location. They were isolated from all other World powers by an ocean.
While having large natural resources and a big land mass.
The US always had the advantage to be able to react to events.
They weren't right in the middle of it with limited options.
Like France, Germany or Russia.

NO. Our desire for Freedom was the biggest aspect.

Europeans are fucking jokes. They beg to be fucked by their governments. And the US is now trending this way. Poisoned by people like you.

 

[Helden]

Slavery

 

[lifelessheap]

I'm intrigued, because I've never hear this before, but is that accurate?

Is it really a secret that Germans are the most productive and innovative people? All while losing endless millions of their best?

 

[Chinballs]

Our manned space program is crap, but the rest is bad ass. We're still the only country that has sent a probe to Uranus.

With all the ISIS and CIA'ing going on it's easy to have a less than favorable view on the US. Probing Uranus however, completely redeems you guys imo.

 

[ShinkanPo]

What is the one thing that caused the United States to be the world leader in the 21st century?

Is it because of the Petrodollar?

Is it WW2 manufacturing?

Luck?

Potato.

 

[ShinkanPo]

Honestly? Immigration.

Almost every great thing this country produced was the result of immigrants or the next 2-3 generations.

Shit, even Trump is only 2nd generation American, his grandfather was an immigrant.

Well the whole country was built by immigrants and foreign slaves. The Bristish Empire and their legacy

 

[Space]

-Surviving in the colonies, and Puritan work ethic. Only the strong survived.
-Pioneer/frontier spirit. Europeans want the state to do everything for them, (real) Americans pull themselves up by the bootstraps.
-Plenty of people raised on farms to be tough.
-Huge country with lots of resources.
-Best government system, though lately it's become swamp-like.
-The war effort in WWII.
-Winning WWII.
-Tying the gold standard to the US dollar.

 

[KBE6EKCTAH_CCP]

Mostly geographical location. They were isolated from all other World powers by an ocean.
While having large natural resources and a big land mass.
The US always had the advantage to be able to react to events.
They weren't right in the middle of it with limited options.
Like France, Germany or Russia.

That and the fact that the USA were already an industrial powerhouse with top-technology prior to WWII.

Also that unlike say, France, which came out very weakened from WWI, the USA actually profited from WWI and were in best shape (aside from the depression following 1929).

 

[FortieSicks]

Slavery

 

[Metusalemi]

Rob Schneider constantly encouraging people: "You can do it!"

 

[HIMBOB]

Natural resources, large fertile land, isolation and staying out of ww2.

 

[MicroBrew]

No 1 thing.
But if I was pressured to give only 1 answer , it would: Location , Location, Location

 

[mixcontactsport]

Petrodollars

 

[SammyPops]

Getting rich off other war torn nations from WW1 & 2, while other great nations were ripping one another apart.

 

[TheGreatA]

I'm intrigued, because I've never hear this before, but is that accurate?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Paperclip
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Osoaviakhim

The whole space program was pretty much a creation of the Nazi scientists, and when they eventually died off, the program declined.

 

[Aegon Spengler]

Luck without a doubt

 

[The ScorpioN]

No one mentioned the Anglo/European culture that spawned the US from the start. Greatest culture in the history of mankind.

 

[whougonnacall]

It took a the sucessful euro/western model and ran with it on a huge scale
Now there are many different 'flavours' in the west but they are all pretty much the same awesome blueprint

 

[Devout Pessimist]

Really, all the power for the USA, all of the reasons, from the beginning to now, dates back to nearly wiping out the indigenous group first encountered then taking advantage of slavery for 12? presidents.

Exactly. Colonialism, Racism, Sexism and White Privilege are what built America. Now we have to destroy what was created and give it back to the Native Americans.