Episode 26: Hobos, Dollar Bills and Secret Codes Hidden in Plain Sight
Today, we’re doing our dutiful service by revealing some secrets hidden in plain sight. We begin by talking about the symbols found all over the one dollar bill—think pyramids with eyes—and why they’re part of the bill’s design. We then shift gears to discuss who a hobo was and the alphabet they used to communicate with their fellow travelers.
E X T R A S :
(Top to bottom): Hobo symbol library, one minute overview video of hobo history, hobo caricature from the 1920s (artist unknown)
Hobo Symbols
“The Hobo Hieroglyphs: Their Secret Symbols, Explained” (Popular Mechanics article)
“Hobo signs and symbols” (Logo Design Love article)
“The intriguing history of hobo signs and symbols” (History 101 article)
National Hobo Convention background (Atlas Obscura article)
Charlie the Tramp book
(Top to bottom): Dollar bill obverse side, dollar bill reverse side, the mysterious owl/spider lurking in the corner, the pyramid with The Eye of Providence, the Great Seal
U.S. One Dollar Bill
Background on the Dollar Bill (Wikipedia article, National Foundation of Patriotism article)
“What Those Symbols on the Dollar Bill Actually Mean” (Reader’s Digest article)
“10 Things People Believe About the Illuminati” (HowStuffworks article)
The Great Seal
Correction: Turns out Todd and Elliot were both wrong about the lifespan of a $1 bill (but Elliot was far more wrong.) Learn more here.