1

Huckleberry Finn

Image: Pedro Forester Da Silva

Mark Twain has given us some of the most iconic characters in our country's literature, and Huckleberry Finn is one of them.

He stole our hearts as the main character of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884), where his experiences and charm made him unforgettable. Adventurous, independent, rebellious (rightly so), and very smart, "Huck," as he is called in the novel, surprises us with reflections and critiques on the society of his time.

Huck not only escapes an abusive home but also makes an incredible journey down the Mississippi River in search of freedom. Along the way, he forms deep connections with those he meets, making it impossible not to feel attached to him.

2

Atticus Finch

Image: Scott Graham

When discussing classics of American literature, it is impossible not to include in the list the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel To Kill a Mockingbird (1960) by Harper Lee.

And if there's one thing this novel has to offer, it's some unforgettable characters. At the center of it all is none other than Atticus Finch. Atticus is described as an honorable lawyer with a profound commitment to justice and equality, serving as a moral beacon in a society defined by its lack of both. He always stands up for his principles , even when they go against the dominant norms.

One of his most iconic lines in the novel is a phrase that defines him very well: "The one thing that doesn't abide by majority rule is a person's conscience."

3

Holden Caulfield

Image: Hiroyoshi Urushima

J.D. Salinger's novel The Catcher in the Rye (1951) is undoubtedly a landmark of American literature. And one name that has stayed with us forever is Holden Caulfield, the novel's unforgettable protagonist.

With his characteristic red hat , Holden Caulfield is the definitive teenager: rebellious, curious, somewhat cynical , selfish, and mischievous. As he roams New York City after being expelled from several prep schools, we are witnesses of his intense and often smartly critical thoughts and experiences. However, despite his disillusionment with the world, Holden demonstrates a deep sensitivity .

4

Jay Gatsby

Image: Hardini Lestari

Published almost 100 years ago, F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby (1925) has become one of our classics , portraying life during the Roaring Twenties and inspiring many film adaptations. Jay Gatsby, with his ambition, idealism, and charisma, gets all the attention in this novel as an enigmatic character who is proof of the majesty of its author.

Much like Dante's Beatrice, the character of Daisy Buchanan inspires in Jay Gatsby an almost obsessive love that drives him to make key decisions and take powerful actions throughout the novel. It is this passion that fuels his rise to wealth and eventually leads to his downfall.

5

Tom Sawyer

Image: Lawrence Chismorie

Endlessly reproduced in other art forms, Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain is one of the most representative characters of American literature.

The first and most famous book featuring the Missouri boy is, of course, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876), but we also see him in the sequel named after his friend, a character we have already talked about: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884).

Despite his mischievous nature and penchant for getting into trouble with his tricks and pranks, Tom is a clever and independent boy who constantly seeks out new adventures.

6

Scarlett O'Hara

Image: Lizelle De Wit

Gone with the Wind (1936) by Margaret Mitchell is a title everyone has heard of, whether you've read the book or not. Its characters have also become famous beyond the pages of this iconic novel.

One of them is none other than Scarlett O'Hara, the central character of this story. The novel portrays the American South during and after the Civil War , where Scarlett O'Hara, shaped by her circumstances, appears as a self-centered and spoiled character. However, as the story progresses, Scarlett evolves, showcasing her tenacity , determination, and protective spirit when she sets her mind to something. You probably remember the iconic line, "Tomorrow is another day."

7

Dean Moriarty

Image: Rémi Jacquaint

A fundamental member of the so-called Beat Generation , Jack Kerouac gifted us with one of the most famous novels in American literature: On the Road , published in 1957.

One of his most remembered characters is Dean Moriarty, who was based on a real person , Neal Cassady, a close friend of the author. Moriarty embodies some of the most outstanding characteristics of the Beat Generation, portraying an enthusiastic, adventurous, free-spirited, energetic, and charismatic character. With such a personality, it's no surprise that Dean Moriarty creates unforgettable moments and becomes an important figure in the story.

8

Hester Prynne

Image: Chris LaBarge

Hester Prynne, from Nathaniel Hawthorne's acclaimed novel The Scarlet Letter (1850), is undeniably one of the earliest and most significant female characters in our country's literature.

Hester defies the norms of her time by having an illegitimate child, making her a target of dramatic criticism and punishment from her contemporaries. Set in 17th-century Puritan Massachusetts, the story unfolds in a society defined by strict rules and oppression. In this context, Hester Prynne appears as a strong woman who endures the severe judgment of her time with courage.

Despite her harsh circumstances, Hester Prynne is described as a powerful, dignified, and empathetic character with extraordinary sensitivity.

9

Santiago

Image: Anastasiya Chervinska

Another undisputed classic is Ernest Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea , published in 1952.

Santiago is the central character in this novel, which explores various aspects of the human condition in depth. Santiago, the old man of the title, is a fisherman who has gone many days without catching a single fish. Faced with diverse challenges and, above all, his own physical limitations , Santiago is described as a strong character of great constancy , dignity, and resilience who has a strong bond with the sea and its mysteries.

The character's perseverance shines through in his battle with the giant marlin , which stands as one of the most important moments in this story.

10

Ishmael

Image: Richard Sagredo

Continuing our journey along the sea, let's talk about one of the most iconic narrators in American literature: Ishmael. His name is perpetuated in the very first line of Herman Melville's great novel, Moby-Dick (1851). Who could forget the iconic opening: "Call me Ishmael" ?

Ishmael serves as the first-person narrator of one of the most memorable tales in literature, a sailor distinguished by his profound, analytical, and reflective personality.

Though he shares few details about his background or appearance, Ishmael masterfully narrates the events aboard Captain Ahab's whaling ship , giving us a unique perspective on the events.

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.