It is Memorial Day week, and this is episode number 997. We're almost at 1,000. This week, we are talking about the things that have quietly made America great, and we've enjoyed talking about the hard workers of America, the people who go to work at four in the morning and make it so that our breakfast is ready at seven. All of the great people who contribute very quietly. I'll give you another example right after this.

One of America's great advantages is our ability to reinvent ourselves. Countries survive by adapting, and America has repeatedly reinvented itself during difficult times, like industrial revolutions, economic collapses, wars, and technological shifts. Every generation eventually faces a moment where old systems stop working and new systems must develop slowly over time. It's painful, and we complain, and we panic a little, but it works.