The Eagle

Alright, today is the last day of the dollar bill, after this it's back to around the world subjects. The final interesting marker of the dollar bill is the eagle clutching the olive branches and arrows. 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. 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. So there you are, very few teachers know about this and now you know something not even your teachers see in the dollar bill. ^_^

...Until next time...

The Unfinished Pyramid

Okay, yesterday was dollar bill number uno. Now here is another interesting fact of the dollar bill, on the back of the dollar bill you will notice the unfinished pyramid as well as the eagle clutching the olive branches and arrows. Everything about this is a symbolism.

Let's start with the pyramid. During the time of the Egyptians the pyramids depicted enlightenment, the unfinished pyramid, if you notice above it has the 'All Seeing Eye' or the eye of Ra, the sun god of the Egyptians. Going on the pyramid itself holds thirteen stacks of bricks. At the base of it is the Roman numerals of 1776. The date of the declaration of independence (also on the Statue of Liberty). The final words here are the Latin words above and below the pyramid. The one above the pyramid is stated as "God has favored our undertaking." The bottom one is "a new order has begun."

So there is your new fact of the day. Tomorrow we will learn a bit more about the little dollar in your wallet.

The Dollar Bill

Alright, today's fact of the day is interesting. Me and my family were just talking when talk about the dollar bill came into it. Before long we were looking for the Owl in the dollar bill. Very few people know about this, and I will explain some of them to you. At least one a day till I've gotten through them all. ^_^
First is the owl hidden in the dollar bill. You will find it on the face side of the dollar bill in the upper right hand corner. Just between the olive leaves and the shield encasing the one.
I almost forgot to mention is that several President's including Clinton and Bush have been seen flashing the symbol of the horned owl.

Spiders Web

Here's another little fact for your day. Spider weds, yes Ms. Charlotte's web. Even though we might not be able to stand the sight of spiders there is an interesting little fact about the fine silk they produce. It is one of the strongest materials in the world. You might laugh, but this is true. If it were proportionate to us being the fly, it is.

To give you an example of this, scientists have been trying to recreate this material for military use. If a Boeing 747 were to be caught in this webbing {a tensile strength a hundred times greater then steel} it would be stopped, but it would not crash. This material would be so strong, yet flexible that it would catch and wrap around the Boeing 747 without causing damage.

Now when you come across a spider web think about it. Be thankful you aren't the fly...

The Great Wall

It's interesting, when you read a little too much you start learning a little too much. Okay, here's a fact for you, did you know that during the building of the Great Wall of China they used rice starch to make the mortar. That stuff is like cement when it dries.
Also, and yes this is the truth, they also used the slaves that built it for the mortar. In some places the wall is barely standing. Such as in the areas of the Gobi Dessert. One of the driest places on earth mind you. The reason for this is because, being the frugal emperor he was knew his people were revolting they ended up making the southern part of the wall with baked bricks. Unfortunately they didn't make it out clay, they made them out of sand. So guess what, they turned to sand and now that's all that left.
So there's an interesting little fact for the day. I got plenty more to go too...
...See you then...