United States - One Dollar Bill

[AzCoastie]

Howdy all,

Thought this was worth sharing!

Take out a one dollar bill. The one dollar bill you're looking at first came off the presses in 1957 in its present design. This so-called paper money is in fact a cotton and linen blend, with red and blue minute silk fibers running through it. It is actually material. We've all washed it without it falling apart. A special blend of ink is used, the contents we will never know. It is overprinted with symbols and then it is starched to make it water resistant and pressed to give it that nice crisp look.

If you look on the front of the bill, you will see the United States Treasury Seal. On the top you will see the scales for a balanced budget. In the center you have a carpenter's square, a tool used for an even cut. Underneath is the Key to the United States Treasury. That's all pretty easy to figure out, but what is on the back of that dollar bill is something we should all know.

If you turn the bill over, you will see two circles. Both circles, together, comprise the Great Seal of the United States. The First Continental Congress requested that Benjamin Franklin and a group of men come up with a Seal. It took them four years to accomplish this task and another two years to get it approved.

If you look at the left-hand circle, you will see a Pyramid. Notice the face is lighted, and the western side is dark. This country was just beginning. We had not begun to explore the West or decided what we could do for Western Civilization. The Pyramid is un-capped, again signifying that we were not even close to being finished. Inside the capstone you have the all-seeing eye, an ancient symbol for divinity. It was Franklin's belief that one man couldn't do it alone, but a group of men, with the help of God, could do anything.

"IN GOD WE TRUST" is on this currency. The Latin above the pyramid, ANNUIT COEPTIS, means, "God has favored our undertaking." The Latin below the pyramid, NOVUS ORDO SECLORUM, means, "a new order has begun." At the base of the pyramid is the Roman Numeral for 1776. If you look at the right-hand circle, and check it carefully, you will learn that it is on every National Cemetery in the United States. It is also on the Parade of Flags Walkway at the Bushnell, Florida National Cemetery, and is the centerpiece of most hero's monuments. Slightly modified, it is the seal of the President of the United States, and it is always visible whenever he speaks, yet very few people know what the symbols mean.

The Bald Eagle was selected as a symbol for victory for two reasons. First, he is not afraid of a storm; he is strong, and he is smart enough to soar above it. Secondly, he wears no material crown. We had just broken from the King of England. Also, notice the shield is unsupported. This country can now stand on its own. At the top of that shield you have a white bar signifying congress, a unifying factor. We were coming together as one nation. In the Eagle's beak you will read, "E PLURIBUS UNUM", meaning, "one nation from many people".

Above the Eagle, you have thirteen stars, representing the thirteen original colonies, and any clouds of misunderstanding rolling away. Again, we were coming together as one. Notice what the Eagle holds in his talons. He holds an olive branch and arrows. This country wants peace, but we will never be afraid to fight to preserve peace. The Eagle always wants to face the olive branch, but in time of war, his gaze turns toward the arrows.

They say that the number 13 is an unlucky number. This is almost a worldwide belief. You will usually never see a room numbered 13, or any hotels or motels with a 13th floor. But think about this. 13 original colonies, 13 signers of the Declaration of Independence, 13 stripes on our flag, 13 steps on the Pyramid, 13 letters in the Latin above, 13 letters in "E Pluribus Unum", 13 stars above the Eagle, 13 bars on that shield, 13 leaves on the olive branch, 13 fruits, and if you look closely, 13 arrows.

Share this page with someone, so they can learn what is on the back of the UNITED STATES ONE DOLLAR BILL, and what it stands for. Otherwise, they will probably never know. Too many veterans have given up too much to ever let the meaning fade. Many veterans remember coming home to an America that didn't care. Too many veterans never came home at all.

[ktkendall]

It's too bad they have so perverted what they are teaching our kids in school now about history, especially the founding of this great nation we call home. We truly are sooo blessed to be born in this country we call USA. 'HIS' story.

[Force Flow]

That is quite a lot of interesting things on the dollar bill, AzCoastie. Heck, I never realized what they signified.

ktkendall, in school now (at least in my HS), everthing is geared toward a big test (aka The Regents), so anything not on that test is not learned. I never liked that system of learning. I'd rather explore a little more.

Just on a side note, I've always considered 13 as my lucky number and Friday 13th as my lucky day. A few of my friends are also the same way.

[avx]

For the dollar bill thing, pretty cool, but I have recently been to Europe, they use a coin system there, its amazing, you would think...aww damn, coin, carrying around all that change, but you would be surprised, everything was very easy to manage, and very precise...they have bitching coin wallets there, it was cool as hell, didnt pick one up though but I think america should switch to coin...call me crazy, but I love it

[juppy]

I wouldn't mind if we went to coins for the one dollar currency and did away with the "paper" ones. I never seem to have a straight enough dollar to go into the coin changer at the car wash to get quarters out of it. It always spits it back out at me.
On a side note, the back of a $5 bill is pretty cool too. I never noticed it until someone pointed it out to me, but there are the names of the states on the top parts of the Lincoln Memorial picture. You may need to get a magnifying glass if your eyes aren't very good. 20/20 vision ought to be able to see them without it though.

[Eaglefeather]

I read this about the American dollar a couple of years ago and remember posting it at one of the forums I belonged to back then, might even have been here. There are so many things we take for granted in life, never stopping to smell the roses. It is a real eye opener when someone points out something fantastic that has been staring us in the face all along.

Never much liked using American money. Stuff all looks the same and you have to be damned careful or you can make a drastic mistake. I have done that more than once during my travels through your great country, luckily most folk are honest and have let me know when I made a mistake.

I much prefer Canadian money that has a different colour for each denomination. But I have to say the newest Canadian paper money is bloody awful. Some pin head in Ottawa has nothing better to do than waste taxpayers money, designing our money to look like something out of my worst nightmare.

The idea of going to coins may sound good, but wait til you get a pocket full of the things. We switched to coins for $1 and $2. The one dollar we call the Looney because we all thought the ideal lunitic. We call the two dollar piece, the tooney because what do you call another half baked idea.

My right pocket, where I keep my wallet weighs about two and a half tons most times and drags me pants down. One of these days I am going to be arrested for indecent exposure because the stupid money has dropped my pants at the most inopportune time.