Why Can't Living People Be on U.S. Money?

Why Can't Living People Be on U.S. Money?

Today I explore one of the strangest stories in American history: the reason living people are generally banned from appearing on U.S. currency. The story begins with George Washington, moves through the Civil War, and eventually lands on a little-known Treasury official named Spencer Clark, whose face somehow ended up on American money. The fallout led Congress to pass what became known as the Thayer Amendment, shaping U.S. currency policy for more than 160 years. Along the way, we'll look at paper money, fractional currency, Lewis and Clark, Salmon P. Chase, Calvin Coolidge, commemorative coins, and the modern debate surrounding proposals for a $250 bill, living presidents on currency, and the rules governing American money today. If you've ever wondered why only certain historical figures appear on U.S. bills and coins, this is one of the most bizarre and entertaining explanations in American political history. Music thanks to Zapsplat. #History #AmericanHistory #USCurrency #MoneyHistory #CivilWarHistory #USHistory #Historyfacts * Atlas Obscura. (2025, August). A Treasury Official in 1866 Put His Own Face on U.S. Currency. * Encyclopaedia Britannica. (2026). Can a Living Person Appear on U.S. Currency? Tradition, Thayer Act, & Trump Coins. * Bureau of Engraving and Printing. Spencer M. Clark. U.S. Department of the Treasury. * FindLaw. (2026, March 31). A Change in Change? Trump Faces Lawsuit Over Plan to Put Himself on Coin. * Jezebel. (2026, May). Trump Admin Removed Treasury Official After She Objected to Printing $250 Bill with Trump's Face. * Northeastern University News. (2026, May 29). What Trump's Proposed $250 Bill Could Mean for Future Currency. * Numismatic News. (2022, May). A Blunder at the Treasury Department in 1864. * Thayer, M. R. (1866). Speech before the U.S. House of Representatives. * Time. (2026, May 29). Treasury Prepares to Put Trump on a $250 Bill—If Congress Allows It. * United States Code, Title 31, §5114. * WAVY News. (2026, May). Trump $250 Bill Proposal Sparks Backlash.

Why Wasn’t Buzz Aldrin First on the Moon?

Neil Armstrong became the first person to walk on the Moon on July 20, 1969, but what if history had gone differently? Today I explore one of the most fascinating questions in space history: Why wasn’t Buzz Aldrin first on the Moon? Was Neil Armstrong always NASA's choice? Did Apollo 11 follow a predetermined plan? And what role did NASA politics, astronaut personalities, spacecraft design, and pure circumstance play in deciding who would take the most famous step in human history? Along the way, we'll dig into the controversy surrounding Armstrong's famous "one small step for man" quote, the debate over whether he planned it in advance, the near-disaster during the Apollo 11 lunar landing, and the surprising reason there are so few photographs of Armstrong actually standing on the Moon. If you enjoy space history, Apollo 11, NASA, Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, the Moon landing, astronaut stories, science history, Cold War history, and fascinating true stories, you're in the right place. #Apollo11 #MoonLanding #NeilArmstrong #BuzzAldrin #SpaceHistory #NASA #spacefacts Music thanks to Zapsplat. Sources • Aldrin, B. (1973). Return to Earth. Random House. • Armstrong, N. (2005). Interview with Ed Bradley, 60 Minutes. CBS News. • Collins, M. (1974). Carrying the Fire: An Astronaut's Journeys. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. • Hansen, J. R. (2005). First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong. Simon & Schuster. • Kraft, C. (2005). Interview cited in The New Yorker and discussed in HowStuffWorks, June 28, 2023. • NASA. (n.d.). Apollo 11 Mission Overview. National Aeronautics and Space Administration. • Nelson, C. (2009). Rocket Men: The Epic Story of the First Men on the Moon. Viking. • Portree, D. S. F. (2019, April 21). First on the Moon: Looking Back on the Apollo 11 Decision, 50 Years On. AmericaSpace.

How Long Could You Survive on Each Planet?

Today I break down one of the most extreme questions in space science and human survival: how long could you actually survive on each planet in our solar system with no spacesuit? From the crushing pressure of Venus, to the near-vacuum of Mars, to the chaos of the outer planets, every world presents a completely different way your body would fail. Some environments are instantly lethal, others give you just enough time to realize what’s happening, and that’s where things get interesting. This episode explores planetary environments, atmospheric pressure, temperature extremes, and the limits of human physiology in space. If you’ve ever wondered what would happen if you were suddenly exposed to another planet’s surface, this is the breakdown. And yes…I have a ranking system. Music thanks to Zapsplat. #SpaceFacts #Astronomy #ScienceExplained #planets #hypothetical #solarsystem * HowStuffWorks. (2024). What If an Astronaut Went on a Space Walk Without Wearing a Space Suit? * Live Science. (2021). What Would Happen to the Human Body in the Vacuum of Space? * NASA Science. (2026). Venus Facts. * NASA Science. (2025). Neptune Facts. * NASA Science. (2025). Uranus Facts. * NASA Space Place. (n.d.). What Is the Weather Like on Other Planets? * Planetary Society. (2023). Life on Venus: Your Questions Answered. * Science ABC. (2023). How Long Can You Survive on Various Celestial Bodies Without a Spacesuit? * ScienceInsights. (2026). Why Venus Is Not Habitable: Heat, Acid, and Pressure. * Space.com. (2022). Could People Breathe the Air on Mars? * Space Center Houston. (2022). Meet the Solar System: Uranus. * The Conversation. (2026). Could People Breathe the Air on Mars? World Atlas. (2025). The Fastest Winds in the Solar System.

Why Nobody Could Read Egyptian for 1,400 Years

Today I dive into one of the most fascinating mysteries in history: how Egyptian hieroglyphics became completely unreadable for over 1,400 years—and how a single discovery changed everything. For centuries, an entire civilization’s history, religion, science, and culture were preserved in stone across ancient Egypt… but no one could understand a word of it. Scholars believed hieroglyphics were purely symbolic, missing the deeper truth hidden within the language. That all changed with the discovery of the Rosetta Stone—one of the most important archaeological finds ever. This broken slab of stone became the key to unlocking ancient Egyptian language, allowing historians to finally begin decoding thousands of years of inscriptions, monuments, and written history. In this episode, I explore the story behind the Rosetta Stone, the race to decipher hieroglyphics, and the unlikely chain of events that led to one of the greatest breakthroughs in human knowledge. If you’ve ever wondered how we lost—and then rediscovered—an entire written language, this is the story. #languagefacts #historyfacts #ancientegypt #rosettastone #didyouknow #hieroglyphics Music thanks to Zapsplat. * American Research Center in Egypt (ARCE). (2023). The Rosetta Stone: Unlocking the Ancient Egyptian Language. * Art Journey Paris. (2022). How Did Champollion Decipher the Rosetta Stone and Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphs? * Artnet News. (2025, November 4). Egyptologists Call on British Museum to Return Rosetta Stone. * British Museum. (2022). Eureka! Finding the Key to Ancient Egypt. * British Museum. (n.d.). Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About the Rosetta Stone. * EBSCO Research Starters. (n.d.). Discovery of the Rosetta Stone. * History.com Editors. (n.d.). Rosetta Stone Found. * History.com Editors. (n.d.). French Scholar Announces He’s Cracked the Rosetta Stone Code. * JSTOR Daily. (2022). Jean-François Champollion Deciphers the Rosetta Stone. * Linda Hall Library. (2024). The Rosetta Stone. * Napoleon Foundation. (2019). The Rosetta Stone: A Journey from Alexandria to London. * National Geographic. (2021). How the Rosetta Stone Unlocked the Secrets of Ancient Civilizations. * NPR. (2022, October). Egyptians Call for the Return of the Rosetta Stone and Other Ancient Artifacts. * The Collector. (2023). Jean-François Champollion: Deciphering the Rosetta Stone. * The Conversation. (2022). Rosetta Stone: A New Museum Is Reviving Calls to Return the Artefact to Egypt.

What Do You Actually Do If You Find Buried Treasure?

Today I break down what actually happens when someone finds buried treasure—and more importantly, what you’re supposed to do next. From the famous Saddle Ridge Hoard to modern discoveries like the Great Kentucky Hoard, finding gold coins, hidden treasure, or valuable artifacts isn’t just a lucky payday—it’s a legal, financial, and historical situation most people completely misunderstand. If you’ve ever wondered: * Do you actually own buried treasure on your property? * Can you legally keep treasure you find? * What are the laws around treasure trove in the United States? * How do you sell gold coins or rare artifacts without getting ripped off? * And why the IRS taxes treasure before you even sell it… This episode walks through exactly what you need to know—without ruining the surprise of how complicated this really gets. I also cover the biggest mistakes people make when they discover hidden gold, why cleaning coins can destroy their value instantly, how coin grading services like PCGS and NGC work, and what happens if you try to keep a major discovery quiet. #learnonyoutube #historyfacts #didyouknow #treasure #goldcoins #legalfacts #law Music thanks to Zapsplat. * Cesarini v. United States, 296 F. Supp. 3 (N.D. Ohio 1969). * Internal Revenue Service. (2026). Treasury Regulation § 1.61-14(a): Treasure trove and gross income. U.S. Department of the Treasury. * McCarthy, D. J., & Kagin, D. (2014). Initial evaluation of the Saddle Ridge Hoard. Kagin’s Inc. * Numismatic Guaranty Company. (2023). NGC certifies the Great Kentucky Hoard of pre-1865 U.S. gold coinage. * Smithsonian Institution. (2024). Discovering the Saddle Ridge Hoard. National Museum of American History. * Steinmetz, K. (2014). Gold coins: California couple looks set to keep Saddle Ridge hoard. TIME Magazine. * Thomson Reuters. (2019). If I find treasure, can I keep it? FindLaw. * JM Bullion. (2026). Should you clean your old coins? * GovMint. (2026). State laws on buried treasure ownership in the U.S.