US eggs last exactly the same amount of time, and they do not actually require refrigeration, it's basically a custom at this point that customers expect.
Once the egg has been refrigerated (which it will be in shipping and in the supermarket) breaking the cold chain is, at best, risky; you'll potentially get condensation which can lead to contamination.
This is so fascinating. I believe you, but I am one month from a newborn so I can't perform the experiment. It's like how for years on end I'd read explanations on Hacker News for why Japan's traffic lights were blue instead of green and I went there and they were identical to US lights. So I'm sceptical of these folk explanations that always go around. One day, years from now, I shall test it myself.
