20 facts about the dollar bill that each American should know

What is in your portfolio you are totally surprising you.


The bill of $ 1 is one of the most familiar objects of the US, withGeorge Washington's Stern face against the front and pyramid design and eagle on the back. But while we havecarried this currency in our pockets Since we started receiving an allowance, there are still many bills of invoices that you probably do not know. Since its oddity designs to its widely forgotten history, the dollar ticket is actually full of surprises.

Read it to get a deeper understanding of an article you use every day and maybe even know the answers to some questions you have always had. Here are 20 things you may not have known about the George Washingtons of your wallet. And for more fun facts, check100 fascinating facts that you will want to share with everyone you know.

1
The Dollar ticket has not changed for more than 50 years.

line of rolled up dollar bills
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Invoices of $ 5 and $ 50 and $ 50 were all redesigned over the last decade. The federal reserve adding color and watermarks to thwart counterfeiters. But the bill on the dollar has remained unchanged since 1963. The reason it has not been updated, according to the US Treasury Department, is thatThis denomination "is rarely counterfeit".

But another possible reason to take into account is probably the lobbying done by the automatic distributors sector, which should redefine its machines to accommodate new invoices if the current design receives a redesign.

2
"In God, we trust" has not always been printed on the dollar.

white man's hands opening briefcase full of cash
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The last modification made to the dollar invoice was the addition of the line "We believe in God, "which was added in 1963. This sentence began to be included on all American currencies following a law adopted by the PresidentDWIGHT EISENHOWER In 1956, making it the official currency of the country. And for more information to help you for your next night, discover55 Facts so interesting that you will launch you for not knowing them.

3
George Washington.

pile of several different types of U.S. paper currency
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Although we associate the first president of our nation with the bill of $ 1, his first face was not the first face to appear on the currency. This honor went toSalmon P. Chase, whose face was on the first rating of $ 1 in the country, which was published in 1862 during the Civil War.

As Secretary of the Treasury at the time, Chase was also the man who conceives the first notes of the country's bank. His vanity project lasted until 1869, yearGeorge Washington took his place.

4
A different Washington once appeared on a different type of dollar.

small doll house surrounded by piles of coins
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The first first lady,Martha Washingtonwas one of the faces of theCertificate of Silver $ 1. First printed in 1886, the certificates were supported by the money deposits of the US government and included a burning of Martha based on his portrait byCharles François Jalabert. The cash certificates had a long race but were interrupted in 1957, although the last impression featuring Martha (this time with her husband) ran in 1896. To date, Martha Washington andPocahontas are the only twoWomen have already appeared on American paper currency.

5
It's not made of paper.

person's hands displaying one hundred dollar bills
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We can call it "money paper", but thethe currency is actually composed 75% cotton and 25% linen. According to the Bureau of Engraving and Printing the Treasury, this material is delivered (with the exception of what is used for invoices of $ 100) in loads of 20,000 sheets that are each trench carefully. The different colors of ink used are mixed specifically by the desktop for security reasons.

6
It costs 5.5 cents to produce a dollar.

person's hands holding out a jar of change
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Not a bad return on investment: the Federal Reserve spends on5.5 cents to produce each invoice of $ 1 (a good deal than the2.06 cents It costs to produce a penny). Although the $ 2 bill performs the same price tag, invoices become more expensive from there. The $ 5 bill costs 11.4 cents, $ 10 costs 11.1 cents and the $ 20 invoice costs 11.5 cents to produce. And for more facts about coins and invoices, seeWhy neighborhoods have ridges and other amazing money facts.

7
He falls out of traffic in less than six years.

pile of international paper currency
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According to the Federal Reserve, aDollar Tombs Out Traffic On average about 58 years. It's more common than the average bill of $ 20 (7.9 years), an invoice of $ 50 (8.5 years) and an invoice of $ 100 (15 years) - but less frequently than the $ 5 bill (5.5 years) and $ 10 (4.5 years). And for a certain mood-boosting trivial, check50 Feel-good facts to cure quarantine boredom

8
He has his detractors.

jar filled with change labeled
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Due to the cost and need to frequently reprint the highly broadcast bills, he has gained powerful enemies. In 2013, a group of five senators, including ArizonaJohn McCainand IowaTom Harkin, United behind an effort forGo by $ 1as indicated byUnited States today. According to senators and consumer advocates supporting, such a change would save the government $ 13.8 billion over three decades. But for various reasons (the automatic distributor lobby), the effort went anywhere.

9
You can follow your dollar.

man's hands pulling one hundred dollar bill out of wallet
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You can see where your dollar has been and where it happens using the siteWhere is George. Just enter the serial number of the dollar in your wallet, and you will be able to find out what the postal codes are passed to get to you and keep an eye on where it headed after the expense.

10
The pyramid on the Dollar ticket represents the young country.

close up on pyramid on the back of a dollar bill
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Thepyramid at the back of the invoice represents the youngUnited States, with 13 steps representing the 13 colonies of origin and an unfinished high reflecting the growing growth and expansion of the country still had to do. The "Eye of Providence" at the top represents a whole God seen - but not, as some the theorists of the plot would tell you, the Illuminati. And for more fascinating facts, see100 totally useless facts that are too entertaining for words.

11
The eagle represents war and peace.

american bald eagle landing on a mossy rock with water in the background
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The eagle at the back of the dollar ticket is intended to transmit both war and peace, with arrows held in its left heel and an olive branch in its good heel.

12
Number 13 is everywhere.

black man's hands filling out financial paperwork with a stack of money in front of him
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We have already mentioned the 13 stages of the pyramid, but let's look further and you will see thatNumber 13 appears in some other places on the currency. There are 13 arrows in the eagle's heel as well as 13 scratches and 13 stars on the big seal.

13
The larger tickets are much more difficult to come.

man in suit holding a fanned out stack of dollar bills to the camera
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Decades ago, the Commission of the Federal Reserve PrintedCurrency in denominations $ 500, $ 1,000, $ 5,000 and $ 10,000. These have been used primarily for bank transfer payments, which have become useless after more advanced (and secure) means to transfer money have been introduced. Production has ceased these major bills during the Second World War and in 1969, the Secretary of the Treasury has announced that the department would cease to distribute the currency.

They are always legal, but you may want to stay there if you have possession - there are only a few hundred of $ 5,000 and $ 10,000 of existing invoices.

14
The United States once produces invoices of $ 100,000.

stacks of one hundred dollar bills
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TheThe biggest denomination of the American official currency Never printed was the 1934 Series $ 100,000 Gold Certificate. With a portrait of the presidentWoodrow WilsonThese notes were printed from December 1934 to 1935 and were mainly used for official transactions between the Federal Reserve banks - it was unlikely that a member of the general public would put his hand on one. (Despite rumors on the contrary, the Treasury Department has never produced $ 1 million.)

15
There are $ 12.4 billion outstanding.

clear jar stuffed with one hundred dollar bills
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According to the latest calculations of the Federal Reserve from 2019, $ 43.4 billionInvoices circulating in the United States. Which is decomposed approximately as follows:

  • $ 12.4 billion $ 1 billion
  • $ 1.3 billion worth $ 2
  • $ 3.1 billion $ 5
  • $ 2.0 billion $ 10
  • $ 9.4 billion $ 20
  • $ 1.8 billion $ 50
  • $ 13.4 billion $ 100

16
It takes a lot to tear them.

four clear jars labeled house, car, education, and travel, stuffed with dollars
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According to CNBC, you should bend a bill on about 4,000 times.Before making tears. Although it can look like a lot, for dollar bills, this threshold is reached within approximately 22 months, the reports of the Federal Reserve.

17
And you can always use them when they are torn.

white hands tearing a one hundred dollar bill
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But if you arrive to tear an invoice, it is always correct to use it. As long as three-quarters of bill are intact, it can be exchanged for an entire bill. If it is torn in two, as long as the serial number corresponds on both sides, it can be used. If it's badly mutilated, you can actually send the bill to theMutilated currency division From the office of engraving and printing, where it is examined and often replaced (the group deals with about 30,000 claims per year).

18
A star on an invoice of a dollar means that it is a replacement.

assorted paper currency
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A "star" on an invoice means that it is a replacement for one with an error. When imperfection is detected on an invoice after a serial number already overprinted, the etching desk and printing replaces it withA "star note" before moving on to traffic. A star note is a note with the same serial number with an asterisk added at the end of it. These invoices are rarer than notes with traditional serial numbers, but bear the same value as any other dollar.

19
A detail dollar inspired decades of conspiracy theories.

out of focus woman holding up crumpled dollar bill to the camera
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If you closely look at the setting surrounding the "1" figure in the upper right corner of the dollar invoice, you can spot what seems to be a small bird or owl that comes from the top left. Some guessed that this representsMinerva, the Roman goddess of wisdom, whose sacred bird was the owl and which is a common figure in the theories of the Illuminati plot. Other arguments that it is actually aspider, partly because of the design of the trapping that surrounds it. It also inspired extensive extensive theories.

None of these assumptions have never been confirmed, however. In reality, unidentified design is probably just a quirk of the pattern.

20
They are full of bacteria and other raw things.

several hands touching in the middle of a circle
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Changing so many hands, it is probably not surprising that dollar bills are not the cleanest objects. A 2017 study published byPlos a find100 different strains of bacteria On dollar notes tested, in addition to viruses, PET DNA and other materials. No surprising that people areCautious about manipulating money during pandemic coronavirus.


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