The first currency dates from 600 BC, when coins bearing the head of a lion were used in Lydia, now part of Turkey.
The early Romans probably used cattle as a form of currency.
The Romans later established a uniform currency across their empire so that the same coins could be accepted at Hadrian's Wall as in Carthage or Athens.
The original Chinese character for money is based on Snail Shells which were once used as currency.
Cacao beans were used throughout Mesoamerica as currency during the Classic Maya Civilization. Ten beans would buy a rabbit and for 100 you could get a slave.
The British pound - created in the 8th century - is the oldest currency still in use.
In the Saxon Kingdoms of Britain, 240 "sterlings" were minted from a pound of silver, hence the currency "Pound Sterling."
The groat, which was in circulation in all the countries of the Holy Roman Empire, was issued for the last time in 1662.
The dollar was unanimously chosen as the monetary unit for the United States in 1785.
The yen was officially adopted by the Meiji government in an Act signed on June 27, 1871. The Yen's name comes from the Japanese word "えん (en)," which literally means "round."
Before 1929, the U.S. Mint produced currency that was 50% bigger than today's bills—they were known as "horse blankets" due to their size.
In the 18th and 19th century, blocks of salt were used as currency in Abyssinia (now Ethiopia).
In the 19th century, currency had to be printed on walrus skin in Alaska to survive the harsh climate.
The American Secret Service was created on July 5, 1865 in Washington, D.C., to suppress counterfeit currency.
The concept of the yen was a component of the Meiji government's modernization program of Japan's economy, which postulated the pursuit of a uniform currency throughout the country, modelled after the European decimal currency system. Before the Meiji Restoration, Japan's feudal fiefs all issued their own money, hansatsu, in an array of incompatible denominations. The New Currency Act of 1871 did away with these and established the yen.
Until the Second World War, bricks of tea were used as a form of currency in Siberia.
Financial calculations using the old currency of the UK were complicated, as one pound was made up of 240 pence or 20 shillings, a shilling was equal to 12 pence, and the half-crown was worth two shillings and sixpence.
The UK Parliament passed the Decimal Currency Act in 1969. No longer would there be 240 pennies in a pound, but instead it was divided into 100 "new pence." A massive publicity campaign was launched in the weeks leading up to Decimal Day on February 15, 1971.
Military leader Ne Win caused a financial crash in the 1980s when he tried to make all Burmese currency divisible by 9, his lucky number.
The euro was introduced to world financial markets in non-physical form (traveler's checks, electronic transfers, banking, etc.) at midnight on January 1, 1999, when the national currencies of the 11 participating countries (members of the European Union with the exception of the United Kingdom, Denmark, Greece and Sweden) ceased to exist independently. The notes and coins for the old currencies, however, continued to be used as legal tender until new euro notes and coins were introduced three years later.
The early Romans probably used cattle as a form of currency.
The Romans later established a uniform currency across their empire so that the same coins could be accepted at Hadrian's Wall as in Carthage or Athens.
The original Chinese character for money is based on Snail Shells which were once used as currency.
Cacao beans were used throughout Mesoamerica as currency during the Classic Maya Civilization. Ten beans would buy a rabbit and for 100 you could get a slave.
The British pound - created in the 8th century - is the oldest currency still in use.
In the Saxon Kingdoms of Britain, 240 "sterlings" were minted from a pound of silver, hence the currency "Pound Sterling."
The groat, which was in circulation in all the countries of the Holy Roman Empire, was issued for the last time in 1662.
The dollar was unanimously chosen as the monetary unit for the United States in 1785.
The yen was officially adopted by the Meiji government in an Act signed on June 27, 1871. The Yen's name comes from the Japanese word "えん (en)," which literally means "round."
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| Early 1-yen banknote (1873), |
Before 1929, the U.S. Mint produced currency that was 50% bigger than today's bills—they were known as "horse blankets" due to their size.
In the 18th and 19th century, blocks of salt were used as currency in Abyssinia (now Ethiopia).
In the 19th century, currency had to be printed on walrus skin in Alaska to survive the harsh climate.
The concept of the yen was a component of the Meiji government's modernization program of Japan's economy, which postulated the pursuit of a uniform currency throughout the country, modelled after the European decimal currency system. Before the Meiji Restoration, Japan's feudal fiefs all issued their own money, hansatsu, in an array of incompatible denominations. The New Currency Act of 1871 did away with these and established the yen.
Until the Second World War, bricks of tea were used as a form of currency in Siberia.
Financial calculations using the old currency of the UK were complicated, as one pound was made up of 240 pence or 20 shillings, a shilling was equal to 12 pence, and the half-crown was worth two shillings and sixpence.
The UK Parliament passed the Decimal Currency Act in 1969. No longer would there be 240 pennies in a pound, but instead it was divided into 100 "new pence." A massive publicity campaign was launched in the weeks leading up to Decimal Day on February 15, 1971.
 |
| An introductory pack of the new currency. Wikipedia Commons |
Military leader Ne Win caused a financial crash in the 1980s when he tried to make all Burmese currency divisible by 9, his lucky number.
The euro was introduced to world financial markets in non-physical form (traveler's checks, electronic transfers, banking, etc.) at midnight on January 1, 1999, when the national currencies of the 11 participating countries (members of the European Union with the exception of the United Kingdom, Denmark, Greece and Sweden) ceased to exist independently. The notes and coins for the old currencies, however, continued to be used as legal tender until new euro notes and coins were introduced three years later.
The first ever purchase made in Euros was for a kilo of Lychees. It happened on January 1, 2002 on the French island of Réunion.
The bitcoin cryptocurrency network was created when Satoshi Nakamoto mined the first block of the chain, known as the genesis block, on January 3, 2009. The identity of Satoshi Nakamoto, the computer programmer who invented the digital currency is unknown. It could represent a man, a woman, or even a group of people.
The receiver of the first bitcoin transaction was cypherpunk Hal Finney, who downloaded the bitcoin software on its release date, and on January 12, 2009 received ten bitcoins from Nakamoto.
The bitcoin cryptocurrency network was created when Satoshi Nakamoto mined the first block of the chain, known as the genesis block, on January 3, 2009. The identity of Satoshi Nakamoto, the computer programmer who invented the digital currency is unknown. It could represent a man, a woman, or even a group of people.
The receiver of the first bitcoin transaction was cypherpunk Hal Finney, who downloaded the bitcoin software on its release date, and on January 12, 2009 received ten bitcoins from Nakamoto.
The highest denomination of US currency currently in circulation is the $100 bill. This bill features a portrait of Benjamin Franklin on the front and an image of Independence Hall on the back.
“E Pluribus Unum,” the Latin expression that appears on US currency, means “one out of many.”
By law, only dead people can appear on U.S. currency.
Silver and gold are used as currency because they are durable and rare enough to be desired, while other metals are too volatile or common.
There are 180 currencies recognized as legal tender around the world.
There is an island in the Pacific Ocean called Yap that uses limestone stones as currency. The large donut-shaped stones weigh up to four tons (3,629 kgs) and because it's so hard to move them the ownership of the stones is passed by word of mouth to transact business. The location of the stone is irrelevant even in the case of one lost on the bottom of the sea.
The average piece of currency changes hands about 55 times a year.
There was a campaign to rename the Australian Dollar to 'Dollarydoo' after an episode of The Simpsons. Supporters claimed it would increase demand for the currency.
The Peruvian currency is called the “sol”, reflecting the Sun worship of the Incas.
“E Pluribus Unum,” the Latin expression that appears on US currency, means “one out of many.”
By law, only dead people can appear on U.S. currency.
Silver and gold are used as currency because they are durable and rare enough to be desired, while other metals are too volatile or common.
There are 180 currencies recognized as legal tender around the world.
There is an island in the Pacific Ocean called Yap that uses limestone stones as currency. The large donut-shaped stones weigh up to four tons (3,629 kgs) and because it's so hard to move them the ownership of the stones is passed by word of mouth to transact business. The location of the stone is irrelevant even in the case of one lost on the bottom of the sea.
The average piece of currency changes hands about 55 times a year.
There was a campaign to rename the Australian Dollar to 'Dollarydoo' after an episode of The Simpsons. Supporters claimed it would increase demand for the currency.
The Peruvian currency is called the “sol”, reflecting the Sun worship of the Incas.
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