1

The moon landing - 650 million

The late 1960s had been a turbulent time, but on July 20, 1969, nearly everyone paused to look up at the same sky.

President Nixon watched from the White House as Apollo 11 prepared for its final descent, fulfilling a promise President Kennedy had made eight years earlier to land an American on the moon before the decade ended. When Neil Armstrong stepped onto the lunar surface and spoke his now-famous words , "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind," an estimated 650 million people across the globe were watching, including nearly 94 percent of American households with a television set. Streets emptied, businesses closed early, and strangers gathered around store windows just to catch a glimpse.

2

"Aloha from Hawaii via Satellite" - 1.5 billion

The early 1970s were a time of enormous change in America, with the country adjusting to a new decade and Elvis Presley reinventing himself as a global performer rather than just a multi-hyphenate star.

On January 14, 1973, he took the stage at the Honolulu International Center for a show unlike anything attempted before. Broadcast live by satellite to audiences across Asia and Oceania, and later shown across Europe, the concert was the first full-length performance by a solo artist ever beamed around the planet this way. Estimates at the time put the audience at over a billion viewers worldwide. NBC later trimmed the concert into a 90-minute special that aired stateside on April 4, and it went on to become the network's highest-rated program of that entire year.

3

The state funeral of John F. Kennedy - At least 180 million

The nation was still in shock in late November 1963, reeling from the tragic death of President Kennedy in Dallas just days earlier.

As the country tried to process the loss, all three television networks, ABC, CBS, and NBC, made the extraordinary decision to stay on the air nonstop, some for as long as 70 consecutive hours , to cover the tragedy and the funeral that followed. On November 25, Kennedy’s flag-draped casket was carried by horse-drawn caisson from the Capitol to St. Matthew’s Cathedral and finally to Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. Nielsen estimated that 93 percent of American households with televisions were tuned in during the most watched moments, with at least 180 million viewers following the coverage around the world as a young John Jr. saluted his father’s casket, closing one of the darkest chapters of the nation’s history.

4

The Beatles on "Ed Sullivan"- 73 million

Just weeks after the country had said goodbye to President Kennedy, Americans were in need of something to lift their spirits again, and four young musicians from Liverpool arrived at exactly the right moment.

On February 9, 1964, John, Paul, George and Ringo took the stage on The Ed Sullivan Show for their first live performance on American soil. CBS had been flooded with requests for tickets, with even Walter Cronkite reportedly trying to snag one for his daughter. At 8 o’clock that Sunday night, roughly 73 million viewers, about 60 percent of all televisions in use that night, tuned in to watch. It remains one of the defining broadcasts in television history, and the night Beatlemania truly began in America.

5

Richard Nixon’s resignation speech - 90-110 million

The summer of 1974 had worn the country down, as the Watergate scandal dragged federal politics through months of hearings, leaked tapes, and mounting distrust.

Finally, on August 8, President Richard Nixon sat down at his Oval Office desk to address the nation one more time. In just 16 minutes, he announced he would resign the presidency effective the next day at noon, becoming the first American president in history to do so. Between 90 and 110 million viewers tuned in that night to hear him explain his decision, a staggering share of the population at the time. The following morning, Vice President Gerald Ford was sworn in, closing one of the most turbulent chapters in modern American politics.

6

The M A S H finale - 106 million

The early 1980s brought a wave of nostalgia, as the country slowly climbed out of a tough recession and Ronald Reagan settled into his first term. Amidst it all, one weekly visit to a fictional Korean War hospital had become a Monday night ritual for millions of American families.

After 11 seasons, M A S H said goodbye on February 28, 1983, with a two and a half hour finale titled "Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen." Streets across the country emptied, and bars held watch parties, and the New York City water department later noticed a spike in usage the moment the credits rolled, as everyone waited to use the bathroom at once. An estimated 106 million viewers tuned in on CBS, a Nielsen record that still stands as the most-watched episode of a scripted series in American television history.

7

Live Aid - 1.9 billion

By 1985, images of famine in Ethiopia had been reaching American households through the nightly news for months, stirring a wave of concern across the country.

Months after the successful "Feed the World" and "We Are the World" charity singles for the same cause, musicians Bob Geldof and Midge Ure, from Ireland and Scotland respectively, decided just one concert alone wouldn’t be enough, so they organized something the world had never seen. On July 13, two stadiums an ocean apart, Wembley in London and JFK Stadium in Philadelphia , hosted dozens of the biggest names in music on the same day. Queen, U2, Madonna, Tina Turner, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, and Phil Collins, who famously played both shows thanks to a supersonic flight on the Concorde, took the stage before a combined crowd of well over 150,000. Nearly 1.9 billion viewers around the world watched the marathon broadcast, which helped raise more than 100 million dollars for famine relief.

8

The 1996 Summer Olympics opening ceremony - 3.5 billion

By the summer of 1996, Atlanta had spent years getting ready to host the world. Bill Clinton was in the White House, the economy was humming, and the country was in a celebratory mood as the Centennial Games kicked off in July 1996.

Inside Centennial Olympic Stadium, boxing legend Muhammad Ali, battling Parkinson’s, lit the torch with trembling hands, while Celine Dion and composer John Williams filled the night with music in front of 85,600 spectators. An estimated 3.5 billion people worldwide tuned in from home, making it one of the most watched broadcasts ever recorded.

9

The O.J. Simpson verdict - 150 million

By the fall of 1995, the country had spent more than a year gripped by a single courtroom drama playing out on cable news day after day. Few trials before or since have captured national attention quite like the murder case against O.J. Simpson, accused of killing his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her companion Ron Goldman.

On the morning of October 3, after less than four hours of jury deliberation, the verdict was finally set to be read. Schools paused classes, offices set up televisions in break rooms, and phone lines went quiet across the country as everybody waited. When Simpson was found not guilty on both counts, an estimated 150 million Americans, more than half the nation, were watching or listening live, making it one of the largest single audiences in American television history for a legal proceeding.

10

The funeral of Michael Jackson - 2.5 billion

The summer of 2009 found the country still shaking off a rough recession, and pop culture needed something to hold onto. That something arrived, tragically, on June 25, when Michael Jackson passed away at age 50 after an overdose of medication prescribed by his personal physician.

Twelve days later, on July 7, his memorial filled the Staples Center in Los Angeles. A total of 17,500 tickets were given away through a lottery that drew over a million requests in a single day. Inside, Stevie Wonder, Mariah Carey, and Jennifer Hudson performed, while his young daughter Paris gave an emotional tribute. Estimates suggest well over a billion people watched from around the globe, with the King of Pop’s farewell becoming one of the most talked-about broadcasts of the decade.

11

Leon Spinks vs. Muhammad Ali II - 2 billion

In 1978, the country was going through a rough patch, with President Carter navigating a shaky economy and gas prices creeping upward. Boxing fans, though, had their eyes fixed on New Orleans.

Seven months earlier, a young Leon Spinks had stunned the world by taking Muhammad Ali’s heavyweight crown in a split decision. On September 15, the two met again inside the Louisiana Superdome, where 63,350 fans packed in to watch a rematch live, the largest indoor crowd ever for a boxing match at the time. Ali fought a smarter, more controlled fight and reclaimed his title by unanimous decision, becoming the first three-time heavyweight champion in history. Around 90 million Americans watched on ABC, and roughly two billion people across some 80 countries followed the Battle of New Orleans as it happened.

1

What are bills made of?

Unlike other currencies, dollar bills are not made of paper or plastic. U.S. dollar bills are made from a special fabric blend composed of 75% cotton and 25% linen. This mix makes the bills extremely durable and resistant, and they can be folded about 4000 times before tearing.

2

What bills are valid?

Any U.S. dollar bill that was legally printed is valid, no matter how old, as American currency does not have an expiration date. While some bills might not be accepted by businesses of foreign exchange services due to their condition or if they are a discontinued version of the bill, the bills themselves are still valid, and American banks will accept them, though they might take them out of circulation.

3

American leaders

Five bills have a depiction of an American president. The exceptions are the $10 bill, with Alexander Hamilton on the front, and the $100 bill, with Benjamin Franklin. The $1 bill, depicting George Washington, is extremely symbolic: several elements are repeated 13 times as a nod to the thirteen colonies, and it showcases the Bald Eagle and the Eye of Providence as a sign of God watching over America.

4

A change in size

Did you know that dollar bills used to be so big that they were nicknamed "horse blankets"? Original dollar bills were 7.4 × 3.1 inches. In 1929, the Treasury Department reduced the size of bills to 6.14 × 2.61 inches to reduce production costs and materials. Old bills, though still valid, are worth much more as collector items.

5

Uniformity

Besides their value and design, all dollar bills have the same size (6.14 × 2.61 inches), color, and weight (1 gram) , which sets American currency apart from other countries where bills of different values are differentiated by size, color, or both. Why doesn’t the U.S. implement differences among bills? The cost of adapting vending machines, bank drawers, and ATMs to new bill sizes would cost billions of dollars.

6

Hard to copy

Originally, dollars were not green, but black. As time passed, green ink was favored, as it was cheap and did not fade as much as black. The new color also prevented people from using black-and-white cameras to create counterfeit money. Currently, dollar bills are predominantly green, but newer versions also include extra colors, such as pink, orange, or purple.

7

A $100,000 bill?

Have you ever seen a $500 or 1,000 dollar bill? What about a $100,000? Up until 1945, the U.S. Treasury printed $500, $1,000, $5,000, $10,000, and $100,000 notes , in addition to the values currently in use. These higher-value notes were mainly intended for bank and government use, but were sought by criminals as they made it easier to hide large amounts of money. Even though they were officially discontinued in 1969, these notes are still valid, though rare, and they have a high worth as collector's items.

8

No numbers

Unlike bills, American coins have different sizes and colors related to their value. Originally, gold, silver, and copper were used for coins, but modern coins are made of copper, zinc, or nickel. Besides their size and design, the value of each coin is printed in letters, not in numbers , alongside depictions of American presidents.

9

Liberty for all (the coins)

By law, all American coins must include six specific details : the word ‘Liberty’, the name of our country, the national motto "In God We Trust", the oldest American motto "E Pluribus Unum", the value of the coin, and the year. Each coin also includes a mint mark that shows where it was made: "P" for Philadelphia, "D" for Denver, "S" for San Francisco, and "W" for West Point.

10

A global currency

The American dollar is one of the most powerful currencies in the world, acting as a backbone for international trade and finances. It is estimated that two-thirds of the physical dollars in circulation are outside American territory. Besides the U.S. and its territories, eight sovereign nations have the U.S. dollar as their official currency, with several more accepting it as legal tender.

1

There's an unexplained billion-year gap

Look closely at the canyon walls, and you'll notice something strange: a clean, sharp line where ancient rock simply stops, and a much younger layer begins directly above it.

This geological puzzle is called the "Great Unconformity," and it represents over a billion years of rock layers that are simply absent , as though that stretch of time never happened. In some spots, rock dated 1.8 billion years old sits directly beneath rock that is only 520 million years old. Where did the missing billion years go?

The leading theory involves the violent breakup of an ancient supercontinent, but scientists are still piecing it together.

2

During the Cold War, it hid a nuclear fallout shelter

During the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, the U.S. government converted part of the Grand Canyon Caverns into a fallout shelter. This dry cave system, more than 200 feet underground, was stocked with enough food and water to sustain 2,000 people. Naturally, it was never occupied, and the supplies were never used.

The caverns have since been transformed into a tourist attraction, with organized tours winding through the same underground chambers that were once intended as a refuge from nuclear war. You can even book a night's stay there.

3

The Federal Aviation Administration was founded after a crash over the canyon

In 1956, two commercial passenger planes collided in midair over the eastern Grand Canyon, killing all 128 people on board both crafts. Rescue teams struggled to reach the wreckage deep inside the canyon, and the extreme heat of the crash had caused the planes' aluminum to fuse with the bedrock. There were no survivors.

The disaster exposed a terrifying truth: the U.S. air traffic control system was dangerously outdated, relying on pilots' visual estimates and rough guesswork from controllers , with no way to separate fast-moving aircraft from slow ones, or instrument-flying planes from those navigating by sight. Congress responded by passing legislation that created both the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board.

4

A hoax suggested that an Egyptian civilization had lived there

In 1909, the Arizona Gazette reported that an explorer named G. E. Kinkaid had discovered a vast underground citadel inside the canyon, filled with artifacts linked to ancient Egyptian civilization. He even claimed the expedition had been funded by the Smithsonian.

This story described hieroglyphics on the walls, mummies in the chambers, and relics pointing to a direct connection with the Egypt of the pharaohs. It was incredibly detailed, and it was, of course, a hoax. No evidence for any of Kinkaid's claims ever surfaced.

5

Fewer than 100 people have ever hiked its full length

Among the few people who have completed the through-hike of the Grand Canyon is Jen Hogan, the first woman to accomplish it, finishing her journey in 2021–2022.

It’s a full 800-mile length below the rim. The route involves extreme heat, flash floods, near-impassable areas, and stretches with no water or trail whatsoever. Around 60 or 70 people have reportedly accomplished it. This makes it one of the most exclusive feats on Earth.

6

The Grand Canyon's rocks predate dinosaurs entirely

Visitors scanning the canyon walls for fossils are often surprised to learn they won't find any dinosaur bones here. The rock layers of the Grand Canyon are simply older than dinosaurs. This fact alone can be shocking: staring at its walls means staring at marine fossils from as far back as 1.2 billion years ago. Some of its caves hold the remains of ancient mammals. The canyon is a window into a world that existed long before the dinosaurs, when the land that is now Arizona lay beneath a shallow sea.

7

The park is bigger than Rhode Island

Numbers alone rarely capture the Grand Canyon's scale, so here's a different approach. Rhode Island covers about 1,214 square miles, and the Grand Canyon National Park spans 1,904 square miles.

The canyon's depth exceeds four Empire State Buildings (which is 1,454 feet) stacked on top of one another. That’s 6,093 feet at its deepest point.

8

But it's not the deepest canyon on Earth

For all its grandeur, the Grand Canyon does not hold the depth record. Pictured above, the Yarlung Tsangpo Grand Canyon in Tibet, China, plunges to 17,567 feet, which is nearly three times deeper. Carved by the Yarlung Tsangpo River as it cuts through the eastern Himalayas, that canyon is so remote and extreme that it remained largely uncharted until the late 20th century.

9

It is home to a pink rattlesnake found nowhere else on Earth

The Grand Canyon Pink Rattlesnake has a pinkish-red coloring that matches the canyon's own distinctive rock walls so closely that it's nearly invisible. It is found nowhere else in the world. Officially classified as Crotalus oreganus abyssus , it has darker diamond-shaped markings along its back that deepen the camouflage further.

10

There's a village at the bottom: Supai Village

For over 1,000 years, the remote village of Supai has been home to the Havasupai Tribe, the People of the Blue-Green Waters. It is located an eight-mile hike from the rim, but sits roughly 3,000 feet deep inside the Grand Canyon.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has called it the most remote community in the contiguous United States, and it has no automobiles and no road access. The only ways in are on foot, by mule, or by helicopter. It is also the only place in the United States where the postal service still delivers mail by mule train.