The Seal of the President of the United States is based on the Great Seal of the United States. The first President to use a presidential seal was Rutherford B. Hayes; in 1880, Hayes used the seal for White House invitations. Harry S. Truman had the seal redesigned on October 26, 1945, adding the circle of stars and re-orienting the eagle towards its own right, the side with the olive branch, thus symbolizing that the United States favors peace while being willing to engage in war. This also made the seal consistent with long-established heraldry custom, as the right is considered the side of honor.

Many people erroneously believe that the Seal is changed during times of war, so that the eagle faces the arrows in its left talon. This belief may have arisen because major changes to the Presidential Seal have coincidentally been made before or during wars.

The Presidential Seal is most often seen on the podium at press conferences, on the sides of Air Force One and Marine One, and on White House documents. Additional stars have been added to the seal as other states have joined the Union. The last additional star, the 50th, was added with the admission of Hawaii in 1960.

It is officially illegal (in the USA) to sell anything with the Seal of the President on it.

External link

• Snopes.com article on head-turning myth