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Br J Ophthalmol 2008;92:1039
  • Cover illustration

The Great Seal

Money can slip through the hands so quickly that one may not appreciate or even notice its finer detail. The “Eye” figures prominently on the United States one dollar bill where it forms part of the Great Seal. The unfinished pyramid with an all seeing eye in a triangle at its top has been popular among conspiracy theorists for many years. It was alleged to have connections with the freemasons and the Bavaria Illuminati; a secret society founded in 1776, in Ingolstadt by Adam Weishaupt, a Professor of Canon Law.

These symbols have been part of the great seal of the United States that was established in 1776 by a committee of four men, which included Benjamin Franklin who was a freemason. However it is recorded that the symbol of the eye in the deltai was suggested by Pierre du Simitière, who in fact made …

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