Take a dollar bill out of your wallet or purse and take a good look at it.
1. It came off of the US Mint in 1957 in it's present design.
2. This so-called paper money is in fact a cotton and linen blend, with minute red and blue silk fibers running through it.
3. It is actually cloth, we have all washed it without it falling apart. A special blend of ink is used, the contents of which we will never know.
4. It is overprinted with symbols, and then it is starched to make it water resistant and then pressed to make it look crisp.
5. If you look at the front of the bill, you will see the US Treasury Seal. On the top you will see the scales for balance, IE: A balanced budget.
6. In the center you have a carpenters T-square, a tool used for an even cut. Underneath, is the key to the US Treasury.
That is pretty easy to figure out, but what is on the back of the dollar bill?
1. You will see two circles. Both circles together make the Great Seal of the USA. The first Continental Congress requested that Benjamin Franklin and a group of men come up with a significant seal. It took them four years to accomplish this task, and another two years to get it approved.
2. If you look at the circle on the left, you will see a pyramid. Notice that the face is lighted, and the left side, representing the west of the USA, is dark. Our country was just beginning. We had not yet begun to explore or decide what we could do for Western Civilization.
3. The Pyramid is uncapped, again showing that we were not even close to being finished. Inside the capstone you have the seeing eye, an ancient symbol for divinity. It was Benjamin Franklin's belief that one man couldn't do it alone, but a group of men, with the help of God, could do anything.
4. IN GOD WE TRUST IS PRINTED ON THE BILL. The Latin words above the pyramid, Annuit Coeptis, means that "God has favored this undertaking".
5. The Latin words below the Pyramid, NOVUS ORDO SECLORUM, MEANS "a new order has begun,"
6. At the base of the Pyramid is the Roman numeral for 1776.
7. Look at the right hand circle very carefully. You will find that it is on every National Cemetery in the USA. It is also on the Flags Walkway at the Bushnell, Florida National Center, and it is the centerpiece of most of our heroes' monuments.
8. Slightly modified, it is the seal of the President of the United States and it is always visible on the lectern from which he speaks. Yet, few people know what the symbol means.
9. The bald eagle was selected as a symbol for victory for two reasons: First: It is not afraid of a storm, it is strong and is smart enough to soar above it. and Secondly: It wears no material crown. Our country had just broken away from the King of England.
10. Notice that the shield is unsupported. Our country now stands on it own.
11. At the top of the shield you see a white bar signifying Congress, a unifying factor. We were coming together as one nation.
12. In the Eagle's beak you see a banner with the words, E PLURIBUS UNUM, which means "One Nation from many people".
13. Above the Eagle you see thirteen stars representing the thirteen original colonies, and any clouds of misunderstanding roll away. Again, we were coming together as one Nation.
14. Notice what the Eagle holds in its talon. It holds an olive branch and arrows. Our country wants peace, but we will never be afraid to fight to preserve that peace.
15. The Eagle always faces the olive branch, but in time of war, its gaze turns toward the arrows.
16. It"s said that the number thirteen is an unlucky number, that is almost a worldwide belief. You seldom see a room number 13 or a 13th floor on a building. But think about this.
17. 13 original colonies, 13 stripes on the flag, 13 steps on the Pyramid, 13 letters in E PLURIBUS UNUM, 13 stars above the Eagle, 13 plumes of feathers on each span of the Eagle's wings, 13 bars on the shield, 13 leaves on the olive branch, 13 fruits, and, if you look closely, 13 arrows. And for the minorities of our country, the 13th Amendment to our Constitutio
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I shall certainly look more closely at my dollar bills in future.
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