What does one TRILLION dollars look like?

All this talk about "stimulus packages" and "bailouts"...

A billion dollars...

A hundred billion dollars...

Eight hundred billion dollars...

One TRILLION dollars...

What does that look like? I mean, these various numbers are tossed around like so many doggie treats.

We'll start with a $100 dollar bill. Currently the largest U.S. denomination in general circulation.
Most everyone has seen them, slightly fewer have owned them. Guaranteed to make friends wherever they go.

 

A packet of one hundred $100 bills is less than 1/2" thick and contains $10,000.
Fits in your pocket easily and is more than enough for week or two of shamefully decadent fun.

Believe it or not, this next little pile is $1 million dollars (100 packets of $10,000).
You could stuff that into a grocery bag and walk around with it.

While a measly $1 million looked a little unimpressive,

$100 million is a little more respectable. It fits neatly on a standard pallet...


And $1 BILLION dollars... now we're really getting somewhere...

Next we'll look at ONE TRILLION dollars. This is that number we've been hearing about so much.
What is a trillion dollars? Well, it's a million million. It's a thousand billion. It's a one followed by 12 zeros.

You ready for this? It's pretty surprising.  Go ahead...
 ... I give you $1 trillion dollars...

Notice those pallets are double stacked. So the next time you hear someone toss around the phrase "trillion dollars"... that's what they're talking about.

2009 US Debt