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The United States is about to mark 250 years since its founding.
Most Americans know that their country has profoundly shaped the world that we all live in.
They liberated most of Europe in World War II.
They invented things like the electric pencil sharpener,
the atom bomb, the internet, the personal computer, breakfast cereal.
I admit, I didn't know we actually invented all those things.
But like many big birthdays, this is a moment of celebration over here in Washington and across the country.
It is also, though, a moment of angst and introspection,
a moment to reflect on America as an idea, as a country, as a people.
So we're stepping back from the news to dedicate a whole week of episodes to the surprising
tales of American influence on the world stage and in ordinary people's lives across the globe.
Since we are a show about where the world and America meet.
We have been looking into some gripping stories about how over the years the United States has shaped the world.
People think in stories and we have this ability to export our story and a lot of people have bought it.
And today, with the help of the podcaster Roman Mars,
we tell the story of the United States as an innovator and how being inventive isn't just about creating things.
From the BBC, I'm Asma Khalid in Washington, D.C. And I'm Tristan Redman in London.
And today on The Global Story, how America used soft power to build a hidden empire.