Henry Gottlieb, and his 3 co-authors, takes the job of creating and prioritizing a list seriously. In the book, 1000 Things To Love About America, Gottlieb established four criteria for adding an entry to the list. They were: 1) Is the entry of National Importance 2) Does the entry define America to the world 3) Does the entry contribute to the wisdom or beauty in the world and 4) Does the entry have lasting influence.

Spoiler Alert. The number 1 entry on the list is Pursuing the America Dream. Other entries include: #7, New York. #86, Senior Citizen buses. #876, Fresh baked goods. #880, Notre Dame football.

Several—including Billy the Brain—have taken umberage with some of the choices. That’s OK. If a reader feels something has been left off the list, or something else was inappropriately added o the list, they can contact Henry at www.1000thingstoloveaboutamerica.com to rectify the situation.