Who Knew?

babj615 · Jan 24, 2008

OK, for those SNOPES fans, I DID NOT check this.

I found it interesting, and thought I would share.

8) 8)

Take out a one dollar bill, and look at it.
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 uncapped, 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.
(MDCCLXXVI)

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.
And, for minorities: the 13th Amendment .

I always ask people, 'Why don't you know
this?' Your children don't know this,
and their history teachers don't know this.

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.
Click to expand...

Cheers

:beer: :beer:

squirrelpotpie · Jan 24, 2008

interesting,

here is a link to similar info where the interpretive aspects are better acknowledged
http://kids.niehs.nih.gov/triviadollar.htm

and a 1hour history channel program "secrets of the dollar bill" next airing on Jan 30th
http://www.history.com/shows.do?episode ... ion=detail

incidentally, the bundle of arrows symbolism was probably borrowed from the Iroquois Confederacy, and their iconic - "one arrow can be easily broken but many arrows bundled together can not be easily broken", studied by Benjamin Franklin.

mrboma · Jan 24, 2008

That's pretty damn cool Bab.
Thanks for the lesson.
Regards,
Mike

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