Harriet Tubman will soon replace Andrew Jackson as the face of the $20 bill, becoming the first woman in more than a 100 years and first African American ever to appear on the front of a paper note. But this is far from the first big change our nation currency has seen.
16 Mind-Blowing Facts About Money That Will Make Your Jaw Drop
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Pennies used to be a lot snarkier
Renaissance nerd Benjamin Franklin designed America’s first U.S. penny in 1787. Instead of E PLURIBUS UNUM, it was emblazoned with the motto: “MIND YOUR BUSINESS”. Make sure you know these interesting facts about the White House you never learned in history class.
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That eagle was a celebrity
The eagle on your money may have a name. From 1830 to 1836, a certain bird swooped into Philadelphia’s U.S. Mint building so often that workers named him “Peter the Mint Eagle,” cared for him, and allegedly used him as a model for coin engravings for years to come.
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Pennies could bankrupt us
Today, it costs more than a penny to make a penny. According to the U.S. Mint, it costs them roughly 1.7 cents per coin.
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Your change makes the TSA wealthier
Change adds up fast. In 2015, the TSA reported collecting $765,759.15 in loose change at airport security checkpoints across the country. They get to keep it all. Here are 11 incredibly fascinating facts about the FBI you’ll never believe are actually true!
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Paper money is not paper
U.S. paper money is not paper at all: It’s 75 percent cotton and 25 percent linen. In Ben Franklin’s day, people repaired torn bills with a needle and thread.
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Money: the ultimate compost
Today, we trash them. A farm in Delaware mulches more than four tons of worn-out U.S. cash into compost every day. Check out these 18 science facts your science teacher forgot to tell you!
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Machine rejecting your bill? Microwave it
It takes about 4,000 double folds (first forward and then backward) before a bill will tear. It takes far fewer folds for a vending machine to reject your bill—but you can fix that by popping your Washington in the microwave for about 20 seconds to crisp it right up just like this video.
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Most paper money never sees puberty
Bill death happens more often than you’d think. With a lifespan of about 4.5 years, the $10 bill is our shortest-living note. Our longest-living note, the $100 bill, lasts only 15 years. (Think you’re well-versed in state trivia? Check out these 50 astonishing facts about each state!)
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$2 bills are not as unique as you think
$2 bills are seen as a rarity, but there are more than 1.1 billion of them in circulation. You can request some from most local banks.
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Printing new money uses 9 tons of ink. EVERY. DAY.
The U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing uses nearly 9 tons of ink to prints 26 million currency notes each day, with a face value of approximately $974 million. Recession? What Recession!
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There was once a $100,000 bill
The largest note ever printed was the $100,000 Gold Certificate (printed from December 1934 through January 1935.) They were only used in transactions between Federal Reserve Banks and the U.S. Treasury. (Here are 13 facts about your brain that will blow your mind — no pun intended.)
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The grooves on your quarters serve an important purpose
A quarter has 119 grooves around the edge; a dime has 118. The grooves were added to keep people from scraping off the coin faces and selling them as precious metals. Here are some more random trivia facts you’ll wish you knew sooner.
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The secret service was created to stop counterfeiting
Following the Civil War, between a third and half of all cash in circulation was counterfeit. The U.S. Secret Service was originally created on July 5, 1865 to fight the counterfeiting epidemic. Don’t miss these other surprising facts about the Secret Service.
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A carolina farm boy funded the country for 25 years
The first U.S. gold rush started in North Carolina in 1803, when 12-year-old Conrad Reed found a 17-pound gold nugget on his father’s farm. It supplied all the gold for the nation’s mints until 1829.
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The tech boom is NOTHING compared to the Gold Rush
Thanks to the tech boom, rent and grocery bills in San Francisco have rocketed 21 percent above the national average—but that’s nothing compared to the Gold Rush. In the 1850s, a dozen eggs could cost you the equivalent of $90 in today’s money, a pick axe the equivalent of $1,500, and a hotel room upwards $300,000 a month. Just goes to show: If there’s a gold rush, sell pickaxes. And check out this list of incredibly random facts about everything — literally.
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There are 293 ways to make change for a dollar
Need to keep someone busy for a long time? There are 293 ways to make change for a dollar. Challenge them to find them all. These are 15 facts about America that your U.S. History teacher neglected to tell you.
