In 1969, a voice rang out all over the world. It said "The eagle has Landed". Do you know what this meant?

A proud American icon, the Bald Eagle’s likeness has been reproduced more often and is more recognizable than that of any other bird in the world. The image of the Bald Eagle has become commonplace. It is stamped on our quarters, half-dollars, dollar bills, and postage stamps. The Bald Eagle is mounted on homes, storm doors, mailboxes, mud flaps, faux license plates, police badges, and public buildings. It perches atop flagpoles, weather vanes, trophies and monumental pedestals. It accompanies us from cradle to grave, from the Social Security card we get as infants to the Medicare card we receive upon turning 65, from the U.S. mail to our IRS income tax returns.

 

 

It is also an integral part of our language: eagle-eyed, legal eagles, Eagle Scout, a score on a golf hole even better than a birdie. Charles Lindbergh was the “Lone Eagle.” Eagles can be found in the Bible and works of Shakespeare; they soar through our poetry, paperback book titles, and pop song lyrics. Rock bands, sports teams, school mascots, July Fourth parades and political campaigns all invoke their glory.

Activity

Home Work

 

The President of the United States is surrounded by the images of Bald Eagles. The code name the Secret Service has given President Clinton is “Eagle.” A Bald Eagle is the central figure on the presidential seal, it can also be found on the carpet and the President’s desk in the Oval Office. The design of a Bald Eagle is on the lectern from which the President speaks and is on the M&M’s on Air Force One.
The Bald Eagle and variations of the nation’s Great Seal also figures prominently in the official seals of the vice president, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Senate, and the Supreme Court. The bird dominates the logos of the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Coast Guard, and National Guard Bureau. It is emblazoned on U.S. Army dress hats and on the Congressional Medal of Honor. Federal departments whose logo features the eagle include the State, Defense, and Justice. Ironically the Department of Interior, that is in charge of protecting the Bald Eagle, has twice replaced the bird with a bison.

As a standard of quality and excellence, the Bald Eagle also appears on the logos or in the names of many of the biggest American institutions and businesses, or those that wish to be. Examples include major sports teams; the National Wildlife Federation; American Airlines; Harley-Davidson motorcycles, Goodyear tires; insurance, investment and security firms; even electric plugs and tackle boxes.

Philadelphia Eagles®

Harley Davidson®

American Airlines®

National Wildlife Fedration®

 

Eagle Pointe® Golf Resort

State Seal for Illionis