The Christmas Tree, kindergarten, and of course the hamburger.

These American institutions were in fact first imported by German immigrants.

While the US may have begun as a British colony and still maintains a close alliance with

the United Kingdom that it calls a special relationship, the land of the free's largest

ethnic population is German American.

German settlers first arrived in the New World in the 1680s and immigration from Doichland

peak between the mid 19th century and the beginning of the Great War.

While the northeast corner of the states is descriptively referred to as New England,

Germans favored the center of the country, settling primarily in the Midwest.

German immigrants are credited with beginning the American anti-slavery movement, and German

Americans with the largest contingent of forces fighting for the Union Army as it

battled to smite the slave owner uprising of the trade-risk Confederacy.

Unfortunately, these contributions were forgotten, and German Americans later grappled

with discrimination in the states due to the two world wars started by their ancestral

homeland.

After the Second World War, marine veteran Glenn Bell founded his namesake restaurant Taco

Bell in Downey, California.

As the Taco chain expanded, one of Bell's ambitious young lieutenants, John Galardi, set

his sights on following in his boss' footsteps and opening a fast food eatery of his own.

In 1961, using a loan from his parents and with approval from Mr. Bell, Galardi opened

a stand right next to the Taco Bell he worked at, but instead of Mexican food, he served

a German American import, hot dogs.

...