The US dollar is one of the main reserve currencies and the world's most popular means of payment. The appearance of gray-green banknotes is known to everyone and everyone, but many interesting facts are associated with the origin, history and circulation of the dollar.
For example, the size of US dollar banknotes does not depend on the denomination, and the cost of manufacturing one bill is 5.7 cents. We have collected other interesting details in today's Top 10 interesting facts about the US dollar.
10. The denomination of the largest banknote in dollars is 100 thousand
The hundred thousandth banknotes were in circulation until 1969. President Richard Nixon limited the printing press by setting the top bar for the $ 100 denomination. By the way, one hundred thousandth bills issued before 1969 can be exchanged for those in circulation by contacting the Federal Reserve System.
9. Dollars are printed according to the 1929 standard
The appearance of the most famous banknotes in the world was approved back in 1929. Then it was established that on the front part there is a portrait, and on the back - monuments of history, architecture and nature. By the way, the woman's portrait got into dollars only once - in 1886. The 1 dollar bill featured Martha Washington.
8. Dollars are unusually durable
Modern banknotes can withstand more than 4 thousand folds without breaking. Although each bill has its own service life: for $ 100 - 5 years, and for $ 20 - only 25 months. The logic is simple - banknotes of a smaller denomination more often pass from hand to hand and wear out more.
7. 35 million banknotes are issued daily
Fresh and crisp US dollars are released daily. About 35 million banknotes of various denominations are intended to replace worn-out ones. If the denominations are summed up, it turns out that every day the United States prints money worth about $ 635 million. True, worn-out bills are withdrawn from circulation for almost the same amount every day.
6. Each coin and banknote has the inscription "In God We Trust"
For the first time the inscription "We hope and trust in God" appeared on American coins back in 1864. And only a hundred years later, the mandatory presence of the legendary inscription on all banknotes without exception was enshrined in the law.
5. The most common banknote - $ 1
About half of all printed banknotes are 1 dollar banknotes. But the two-dollar bills were last printed in 2003 and are gradually going out of circulation.
4. Materials for the production of dollars - linen and cotton
The paper on which the dollars are printed contains 25% linen, 75% cotton, and small amounts of tiny synthetic fibers. These fibers are blue and red and are visible across the entire surface of the bill. The approximate weight of the banknote is 1 gram.
3. The word "dollar" comes from the German "Taler"
The first to receive the name "dollar" was not American money, but the Scottish coin, which was in circulation from 1567 to 1571. The thalers, which gave the name to dollars, were brought to America by Dutch settlers. The name "dollar" was officially assigned to the American currency in 1794.
2. Slang word "bucks" comes from the name of the skin of a deer
In English, the skin of a buck is a buck. These skins were practically the main subject of trade with the Indians, who gladly exchanged them for "fire water", salt, cartridges, etc. There is also a version connecting bucks with the name of the ancient god of winemaking Bacchus.
1. The US dollar is the official currency not only in the States
The national currency of the United States is the official currency in countries such as El Salvador, East Timor, Ecuador, Zimbabwe, and the Marshall Islands. And in Guam, Palau and Puerto Rico, US dollars are legally circulated alongside local currencies.