People are shocked to learn why Americans write their date that way
With Donald Trump making the headlines, many Brits will wonder why USA still insists on using MM/DD rather than the rest of the word's date format
Whether it’s July 4th or 9/11 or May 4th, America is known for its unique month-day naming sequence, with only Philippines and Caribbean joining the Donald Trump-led nation in this date format.
However, according to Jamie Frasier, who runs an American summer camp staffing company, Wildpacks, most Brits are shocked when he explains the simple reason why during their first onboarding session.
Jamie explains “America actually inherited the months-first date system from the United Kingdom where it was occasionally used until the early 20th century, and American colonists favoured the monthly format, while the British Empire drifted towards the European style of dd-mm-yyyy.”
“Given the lack of adoption elsewhere, it’s one of the many quirks Brits heading to the United states of America for the first time have to get used to - especially if they’re booking travel or accommodation and filling in boxes. 2nd Feb and 3rd March can be easily confused!
The only exception is the US Military and Immigration at International airports who can’t afford any mistakes and therefore opt for the International standard”
Things that shock Brits about America
- UK's large drink (500ml) is almost the same size as the US' small drink (473ml)
- The gaps round the edges of public toilet cubical doors.
- Sales tax only being added at the till
- Strangers who greet people like old friends in the street.