For over 100 years, travelers have checked into US motel rooms and found the Gideon Bible

For over a century, travelers staying in US motel and hotel rooms have encountered a curious item nestled in the bedside drawers - the Gideon Bible. This Bible, distributed by Gideons International, has become a symbol of American roadside culture and Protestant tradition. First introduced in 1908, Gideons International has since distributed more than 2.5 billion Bibles worldwide, including to prisons, military bases, hospitals, and even the White House.

The story behind the Gideon Bible began in 1899, when Gideon Sundback, a Swedish-American engineer, founded Gideons International. One of its members noticed a lack of Bibles in remote areas during a railroad expansion project. He proposed placing a Bible at the front desk of hotels, which the owners agreed to expand to each room. In 1908, the group began distributing Bibles, coinciding with the launch of Ford Motor Co.'s Model T, a low-cost car that enabled widespread motoring.

Paul McCartney famously wrote about the Gideon Bible in The Beatles' song, noting that they were present in every American hotel. The Bibles became a staple in American culture, appearing in films, Broadway shows, and even mentioned in lyrics. Despite challenges, such as a decline in the number of U.S. hotels offering religious materials, the Gideon Bible remains an enduring symbol of American culture, quietly providing comfort in the most secular of settings.