Is the time on the 100$ bill actually fixed?

Is the time on the 100$ bill actually fixed? - Hourglass near Heap of American Dollars

In National Treasure Ben asks for a 100$ bill from a shopkeeper to get the timing at which he must follow the shadow (at Independence Hall). As far as I remember the timing was 2 or 3 or something.

I have 2 100$ dollars bills, with 2 different times on the clock faces. Further, I don't think (but cannot ascertain) either of them matches the one in the movie. Is the time on the 100$ bill actually fixed or was this part of the movie inaccurate?



Best Answer

It's just a goof, or a deliberate disregard to reality in order to make a fun movie. Here's a few relevant facts from the goof section on IMDB

Ben, Abigail and Riley follow a clue from the engraving of Independence Hall on the $100 bill. Noting the time on the clock in the tower and following the shadow of the tower to a spot on a wall. In reality the original tower of Independence Hall that existed in 1776 had no clock, it was built only to hold a bell (i.e. the Liberty Bell.) What's more that tower became unstable and was removed in 1781 and was replaced by a simple peaked roof. The original clock on the building was built into the side of the building facing Congress Hall. The current tower with its clock wasn't built until 1828. Benjamin Franklin who was the focus of many of the clues died in 1790 so there's no way he could have used the tower clock in setting up the clues. This information comes from "Historic Landmarks of Philadelphia" by Roger W. Moss.

And

Until 1883, there were no standard time zones. Almost every locality used solar time to determine the correct time (noon was the time when the sun was directly overhead in each city, and this, of course, varied depending on the location of the city). Standard time zones were established when railroad schedules necessitated them. The only way they could have determined when 2:22PM occurred in the 1700s was to find out when the sun was directly overhead, and add two hours and twenty-two minutes to that time.




Pictures about "Is the time on the 100$ bill actually fixed?"

Is the time on the 100$ bill actually fixed? - Stylish round wristwatch with chronograph and brown strap placed on leather material near repair tools in modern workshop
Is the time on the 100$ bill actually fixed? - From above transparent hourglass with flares on fragile surface near pile of banknotes with numbers and official seal
Is the time on the 100$ bill actually fixed? - Photo of Man in Black Suit Sitting on White Couch Smoking a Cigar While Looking at the Time



What is the actual time on the clock tower on the back of a $100 dollar bill?

Fact*: On the back of the $100 bill, there is an etching of Independence Hall, and the time on the clock tower reads 2:22. The clock on the back of the early-2000s $100 bill (below) was officially documented as reading 4:10, though it does look more like the hour hand is pointing to the two, suggesting a time of 2:22.

Why did the time change on the $100 bill?

The most recent release of the $100 bill was originally planned for 2011 but was delayed two years because of new security features that caused the notes to crease during printing. The end result was that some of the bills were filled with blank spaces.

When was the last time the 100 dollar bill was changed?

The Series 2009 $100 bill redesign was unveiled on April 21, 2010, and was issued to the public on October 8, 2013. The new bill costs 12.6 cents to produce and has a blue ribbon woven into the center of the currency with "100" and Liberty Bells, alternating, that appear when the bill is tilted.

How can u tell if a 100 dollar bill is real?

Micro-printing can be found around the portrait as well as on the security threads. the bills will glow: the $5 bill glows blue, the $10 bill glows orange, the $20 bill glows green, the $50 bill glows yellow and the $100 bill glows pink. Hold the bill up to a light to check for a watermark.



How to spot a fake 100 dollar bill




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Images: Karolina Grabowska, валерия Гарбуз, Karolina Grabowska, Andrea Piacquadio