1 00:00:00,520 --> 00:00:03,440 Speaker 1: Welcome to brain Stuff from how stuff works dot com 2 00:00:03,600 --> 00:00:14,640 Speaker 1: where smart Happens. Hi am our Braining with today's question, 3 00:00:15,040 --> 00:00:18,280 Speaker 1: what do the symbols on the back of the US 4 00:00:18,480 --> 00:00:22,560 Speaker 1: one dollar bill mean? Pull out a one dollar bill 5 00:00:22,640 --> 00:00:24,840 Speaker 1: from your wallet and take a good look at the 6 00:00:24,880 --> 00:00:28,080 Speaker 1: back of it. The Great Seal of the United States 7 00:00:28,120 --> 00:00:30,800 Speaker 1: appears on the back side of the United States one 8 00:00:30,840 --> 00:00:34,520 Speaker 1: dollar bill. The reverse of the seal appears on the left, 9 00:00:34,680 --> 00:00:38,680 Speaker 1: and the obverse side of the seal appears on the right. First, 10 00:00:38,680 --> 00:00:42,800 Speaker 1: a little background on this seal. The Continental Congress decided 11 00:00:42,840 --> 00:00:46,240 Speaker 1: to create a national seal or emblem on July four, 12 00:00:46,400 --> 00:00:50,040 Speaker 1: seventy six, the same day that the Congress adopted the 13 00:00:50,080 --> 00:00:55,120 Speaker 1: Declaration of Independence. The Congress appointed Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, 14 00:00:55,120 --> 00:00:57,480 Speaker 1: and John Adams to a committee to come up with 15 00:00:57,560 --> 00:01:02,400 Speaker 1: a national seal. It took six years, three committees, several 16 00:01:02,520 --> 00:01:06,760 Speaker 1: artistic contributions, and many revisions before the final seal was 17 00:01:06,800 --> 00:01:12,600 Speaker 1: adopted on June twenty two. The unfinished pyramid and the 18 00:01:12,760 --> 00:01:16,759 Speaker 1: eye and a triangle on the reverse side are classic symbols. 19 00:01:17,200 --> 00:01:20,440 Speaker 1: The Egyptian pyramid is a symbol of strength and duration. 20 00:01:20,959 --> 00:01:25,119 Speaker 1: The thirteen steps indicate the original number of US states, 21 00:01:25,160 --> 00:01:29,000 Speaker 1: and the thirteen steps leading to an unfinished summit indicates 22 00:01:29,080 --> 00:01:32,360 Speaker 1: future growth of the nation. The eye is known as 23 00:01:32,400 --> 00:01:36,160 Speaker 1: the Eye of Providence and is surrounded by rays of light. 24 00:01:36,760 --> 00:01:39,880 Speaker 1: The single eye shows up in Egyptian mythology is the 25 00:01:39,959 --> 00:01:43,560 Speaker 1: eye of Horace, an ancient god of the Egyptians. The 26 00:01:43,720 --> 00:01:48,440 Speaker 1: eye represented wisdom, health, and prosperity. Some people think that 27 00:01:48,480 --> 00:01:51,960 Speaker 1: the all seeing eye is a symbol of freemasonry, a 28 00:01:52,000 --> 00:01:56,480 Speaker 1: fraternal organization. Here are the other symbols on the Great Seal. 29 00:01:56,920 --> 00:01:58,960 Speaker 1: If you look at your dollar bill, you can follow 30 00:01:59,000 --> 00:02:04,680 Speaker 1: along two. Secretary of Congress Charles Thompson adopted the bald 31 00:02:04,720 --> 00:02:08,240 Speaker 1: eagle as the prominent feature of the design. The shield 32 00:02:08,360 --> 00:02:11,320 Speaker 1: is shown on the breast of the eagle without any support, 33 00:02:11,480 --> 00:02:15,919 Speaker 1: indicating the self reliance of the United States. Thirteen stripes 34 00:02:15,960 --> 00:02:19,920 Speaker 1: appear on the shield, signifying the thirteen original states. These 35 00:02:19,960 --> 00:02:24,280 Speaker 1: stripes support and unite with the top band, which represents Congress. 36 00:02:24,880 --> 00:02:28,320 Speaker 1: The eagles talents hold thirteen arrows in the right and 37 00:02:28,400 --> 00:02:31,800 Speaker 1: an olive branch in the left. These symbolize the power 38 00:02:31,840 --> 00:02:35,440 Speaker 1: of war and peace, respectively. The number of arrows represents 39 00:02:35,480 --> 00:02:39,560 Speaker 1: the thirteen original states. As well. The constellation of thirteen 40 00:02:39,760 --> 00:02:43,520 Speaker 1: stars above the eagle's head signifies the United States rank 41 00:02:43,600 --> 00:02:48,200 Speaker 1: among other sovereign powers. The motto e plurbus unam, written 42 00:02:48,320 --> 00:02:51,200 Speaker 1: on the banner held in the eagle's beak, is Latin 43 00:02:51,280 --> 00:02:55,160 Speaker 1: meeting out of many one, conveying the union of the States. 44 00:02:55,840 --> 00:03:00,720 Speaker 1: On the reverse side the unfinished pyramid, then the eye 45 00:03:00,800 --> 00:03:05,560 Speaker 1: and the triangle. Above the pyramid, the Roman numerals M, D, C, C, 46 00:03:06,000 --> 00:03:08,880 Speaker 1: L x x v I appear on the base of 47 00:03:08,960 --> 00:03:12,440 Speaker 1: the pyramid and translates to seventeen seventy six, the year 48 00:03:12,480 --> 00:03:18,480 Speaker 1: of independence. Above the eye are the Latin words annuit capitus. 49 00:03:18,520 --> 00:03:23,080 Speaker 1: This translates to he has favored our undertakings. This line 50 00:03:23,120 --> 00:03:26,680 Speaker 1: is associated with the eye of Providence. Below the pyramid 51 00:03:26,720 --> 00:03:30,360 Speaker 1: are the Latin words novis ordos sec laura, meaning a 52 00:03:30,480 --> 00:03:33,239 Speaker 1: new order of the ages, referring to the birth of 53 00:03:33,280 --> 00:03:37,600 Speaker 1: the United States in seventeen seventy six. In nineteen thirty five, 54 00:03:37,920 --> 00:03:41,480 Speaker 1: the Department of Treasury proposed the use of the obverse 55 00:03:41,520 --> 00:03:43,720 Speaker 1: and reverse sides of the Great Seal on the back 56 00:03:43,760 --> 00:03:47,080 Speaker 1: of a one dollar bill, originally with the obverse on 57 00:03:47,120 --> 00:03:50,080 Speaker 1: the left side and the reverse on the right before 58 00:03:50,080 --> 00:03:54,080 Speaker 1: approving the design, President Franklin Roosevelt decided to switch the 59 00:03:54,200 --> 00:03:57,119 Speaker 1: order of the sides of the seal and then added 60 00:03:57,240 --> 00:04:00,640 Speaker 1: the Great Seal under the reverse and end of the 61 00:04:00,760 --> 00:04:04,400 Speaker 1: United States under the obverse. So the next time you 62 00:04:04,440 --> 00:04:06,960 Speaker 1: look at a one dollar bill, you'll know what's going 63 00:04:07,000 --> 00:04:13,040 Speaker 1: on with all that strange symbology. 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