From dirty money, to fake money, to fast money, to funny money - human beings are fascinated with the dollar bills, coins and cards that let us accumulate wealth and perhaps happiness. But how much money is out there? Who has it? Where did cash come from? What's in a bill, or a coin? Find out everything you ever wanted to know about the mysteries of money... plus the weird and wacky cash facts that will leave you eating, sleeping and breathing dollar bills.
Billionaires
Accountant & Banker Fun
Working in Finance
Weird Big Figure Jobs
Fun Money History
The Making of Currency
Coin, Bill and Plastic Trivia
Dirty Money Facts
Currency Lifespan
Counterfeit Money Trivia
World Money Facts and Figures
Popular Money Names
Weird Banking Facts and Trivia
Other Uses for Coins
2. Carlos Slim Helu, Mexico, telecommunications - 60 billion and rising
3. William Gates III, USA - 58 billion and rising
4. Lakshmi Mittal, India, - 45 billion and rising
5. Mukesh Ambani, India - 43 billion and rising
The word “millionaire” first popped up in literature in the 1826 novel “Vivian Grey” by Benjamin Disraeli.1
What are all the “gold digging” money ladies doing at work? Mostly accounting, personal financial advising, auditing, loans counseling, and management analyzing. 3
Like taking sick days? Maybe finance isn't for you... since money people miss the fewest workdays due to illness compared with any other job category (Only 2 full time workers in every 1000 are sick on any given day) 3
Money people might be dying to make a buck, but at least they’re not dying at work. Workers in this industry enjoys one of the lowest incidence of fatality in the workworld, with 0.6 deaths/10,000 workers. 3
They can reportedly (no pun intended) earn $88,171 a year working for the New York State Supreme Court, plus additional cash for every transcript they create!
Fitting Model
These people get to wear clothes at the cool cost $100,000 a year. (Insider: you just have to tell the designer how the clothes feel on you
In 1932, wooden bills were temporarily made and used Tenino, Washington. Why? There was a major cash shortage at the time and wood was readily available. 8
The first banks were likely religious temples. Why? Because the security was always tight. 9
From which period are the first records of loans, deposits, currency validation and exchange? 18th Century BC in Babylon. (Ancient Greece) 9
Who's the first banker on record? It's Pythius, a merchant banker from Asia Minor in 5th century B.C. 9
Where does the term "check" or "cheque" come from? It's derived from the game of chess. Putting the king in check means his choices are limited, just like a modern day cheque that limits opportunities for forgery and alteration. 9
The Knights Templar between 1118 and 1307 used a cheque system to provide their pilgrims with travel funds. They worked much like modern day travellers cheques. 9
Where does the $ symbol come from? It's derived from the Spanish dollar sign. In 1782, the US considered choosing the Spanish peso as the country’s currency. The abbreviation for the Spanish peso (PS) later transformed into a $. 6
Seed Money - The Making of Currency
Why was paper money created? Civil War coin hoarding caused the US government to create paper currency bills for the first time in 1861. Each and every one of the first bills was signed by one of the six people who worked at the US Treasury. 6
What's with the word "Greenback? The first bills were called “greenbacks” after the green ink used on the backs of the bills. 6
How many times does “The United States of America” appear on a $100 bill?... 12 6
Legal tender with a value over $100 is no longer printed, but is still floating around. 6
How many pennies are produced each day? About 30 million. That’s 1040 pennies every second! 13
In 2007, 38 million bills were produced a day with at total value of $750 million. 33
How much does it cost to make a bill? It cost around 6.2 cents to produce a bill in 2007 considering that 9.1 billion notes were made 33
What’s 361 feet high that weighs exactly 1 ton?? It’s a stack one million US$1 bills! 10
A US bill weighs 1 gram 11
100 million one-cent coins weights 246 tons. They may seem weighty – but they’re worth 1 million dollars when cashed in. That’s 20,000 coin rolls! 12
The world's largest coins were used in Alaska in 1950. At 3 feet in diameter, these 2 feet wide coins weighed 90 lbs each! Having to create jumbo sized wallets may seem like a pain, but the high value of the coins made it all worth while. Each coin was valued at $2,500. 12
Don't Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is - Dirty Money
The metallic odor left on your hands after touching coins and metal objects is actually a type of human body odor. Skin oils break down and decompose after touching iron - creating the oh so familiar coin smell on hands. 15
In Japan, there is an ATM machine that heat presses each bill at 392 degrees for one-tenth of a second before its dispensed... and presto! You’ve got yourself a clean bill.22
Good thing that the average coin lasts for 25 years, 17 since new pennies cost over 1.67 cents each to make. 18
The average bill is meant to take up to 4000 folds in each direction before it rips. Why's it so strong? Currency paper is 25% linen, making it rip-resistant. 26 Funny Money Trivia - Counterfeit Money
3 in every 10,000 US bills is counterfeit. 17
Around 75% of counterfeit currency is found and destroyed before it ever reaches the public. 17
Approximately 1 in every 10,000 US bills is such a good counterfeit that it's nicknamed a "superdollar". 19
Money to Burn - World Money Facts and Figures
The global GDP was estimated at $65.82 trillion in 2007, or around $10,000/person 20
There are 191 official currencies worldwide 21
The average US household makes $54,453 a year, prior to taxes. And they spend almost 80% of that, leaving only $10,891 for savings. 31
The name "Bill" was most popular in 1990 compared to any other year24
The study of currency and the history of money is known as Numismatics 25
Stuff that Money Can't Buy - Weird Banking Facts and Trivia
In the US, there are 2 credit cards for member of the population 27
On the standard Monopoly board game, there is $5490 worth of potential property 28
Americans fantasize more about money than sex 29
The biggest lottery jackpot of all time was $390 million in the Mega Millions Lottery in the US in March, 2007. 30
How big is the largest money monument? The Big Nickel, located in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada is the largest coin replica in the world according to the Guinness Book of World Records. It stands 9 metres high and 61 centimeters thick. It is not made of nickel. 32
http://www.didyouknow.cd/fastfacts/money.htm 1 8 10 12 13
http://www.forbes.com/lists/2008/10/billionaires08_Warren-Buffett_C0R3.html 2
http://www.bls.gov/home.htm 3
http://money.cnn.com/2003/12/09/pf/more_sixfigjobs/index.htm 4
http://www.epi.org/content.cfm/webfeatures_snapshots_20060621 5
http://www.thedigeratilife.com/blog/index.php/2007/05/01/5-money-and-currency-facts-your-history-teacher-never-told-you/ 6
http://www.wikipedia.com 7 9 23
http://au.answers.yahoo.com/answers2/frontend.php/question?qid=20080129095325AAo0zA3 11
http://www.fleur-de-coin.com/coinfacts/worldcoins.asp 15
http://www.pbs.org/moneymoves/money_facts/ 16
http://www.frbatlanta.org/index.cfm 17
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wpdyn/content/article/2007/11/12/AR2007111201663.html 18
http://www.isnare.com/?aid=189222&ca=World+Affairs 19
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/print/xx.html 20
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_circulating_currencies 21
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1511/is_n10_v19/ai_21145379 22
http://www.ussearch.com/consumer/index.jsp 24
http://www.ssa.gov/cgi-bin/babyname.cgi 25
http://www.bep.treas.gov/document.cfm/18/106 26
http://facts.330.ca/statistics/ 27
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monopoly_(game) 28
http://www.nichegeek.com/41_money_facts_that_will_blow_you_away 29
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lottery 30
http://www.forbes.com/2006/07/19/cx_de_americanspending_2.html?thisSpeed=6000 31
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Nickel 32
Billionaires
Accountant & Banker Fun
Working in Finance
Weird Big Figure Jobs
Fun Money History
The Making of Currency
Coin, Bill and Plastic Trivia
Dirty Money Facts
Currency Lifespan
Counterfeit Money Trivia
World Money Facts and Figures
Popular Money Names
Weird Banking Facts and Trivia
Other Uses for Coins
Rolling in the Dough - Who's Footing the "Bill"?
Who are the richest people in the world? 2
2. Carlos Slim Helu, Mexico, telecommunications - 60 billion and rising
3. William Gates III, USA - 58 billion and rising
4. Lakshmi Mittal, India, - 45 billion and rising
5. Mukesh Ambani, India - 43 billion and rising
The word “millionaire” first popped up in literature in the 1826 novel “Vivian Grey” by Benjamin Disraeli.1
Banking Fun - Bringing Home of the Bacon
In 2005 the average CEO in the US was paid $10,982,000 a year, or 262 times the salary of an average worker (Who earns just $41,861 a year). 5
Number of accountants and auditors in the US: 1,092,960 3
What's their average salary? $60,670 - Not bad for counting pennies all day!
Money-loving accountants: go East! The 95,490 accountants working in New York earn more than their colleagues in other states, with an average salary of $72,040 a year. It's no surprize that more accountants work in New York than in any other state. 3
Wanna work with money and bring home the dough? Try one of these high paying money jobs: 3
Number of accountants and auditors in the US: 1,092,960 3
What's their average salary? $60,670 - Not bad for counting pennies all day!
Money-loving accountants: go East! The 95,490 accountants working in New York earn more than their colleagues in other states, with an average salary of $72,040 a year. It's no surprize that more accountants work in New York than in any other state. 3
Wanna work with money and bring home the dough? Try one of these high paying money jobs: 3
- Money manager for performing artist or athlete: $84,070
- Management Analyst: $77,270
- Financial Analyst: $77,280
- Personal Financial Advisor: $86,730
What are all the “gold digging” money ladies doing at work? Mostly accounting, personal financial advising, auditing, loans counseling, and management analyzing. 3
Careers in Finance - A "Safe" Bet
With only a 1 in 100 chance of having a nonfatal injury or illness, the financial sector is the safest job area out there! 3Like taking sick days? Maybe finance isn't for you... since money people miss the fewest workdays due to illness compared with any other job category (Only 2 full time workers in every 1000 are sick on any given day) 3
Money people might be dying to make a buck, but at least they’re not dying at work. Workers in this industry enjoys one of the lowest incidence of fatality in the workworld, with 0.6 deaths/10,000 workers. 3
Take the Money and Run - Surprizing Big Figure Jobs 4
Court ReportersThey can reportedly (no pun intended) earn $88,171 a year working for the New York State Supreme Court, plus additional cash for every transcript they create!
Fitting Model
These people get to wear clothes at the cool cost $100,000 a year. (Insider: you just have to tell the designer how the clothes feel on you
Money Doesn't Grow on Trees? - Fun Money History
Before money was made of bills and coins, these items were used as currency: conch shells, ivory, clay, live animals and grain. As long as it was division and scarce, it could be money. 7
In 1932, wooden bills were temporarily made and used Tenino, Washington. Why? There was a major cash shortage at the time and wood was readily available. 8
The first banks were likely religious temples. Why? Because the security was always tight. 9
From which period are the first records of loans, deposits, currency validation and exchange? 18th Century BC in Babylon. (Ancient Greece) 9
Who's the first banker on record? It's Pythius, a merchant banker from Asia Minor in 5th century B.C. 9
Where does the term "check" or "cheque" come from? It's derived from the game of chess. Putting the king in check means his choices are limited, just like a modern day cheque that limits opportunities for forgery and alteration. 9
The Knights Templar between 1118 and 1307 used a cheque system to provide their pilgrims with travel funds. They worked much like modern day travellers cheques. 9
Where does the $ symbol come from? It's derived from the Spanish dollar sign. In 1782, the US considered choosing the Spanish peso as the country’s currency. The abbreviation for the Spanish peso (PS) later transformed into a $. 6
Seed Money - The Making of Currency
Why was paper money created? Civil War coin hoarding caused the US government to create paper currency bills for the first time in 1861. Each and every one of the first bills was signed by one of the six people who worked at the US Treasury. 6 What's with the word "Greenback? The first bills were called “greenbacks” after the green ink used on the backs of the bills. 6
How many times does “The United States of America” appear on a $100 bill?... 12 6
Legal tender with a value over $100 is no longer printed, but is still floating around. 6
How many pennies are produced each day? About 30 million. That’s 1040 pennies every second! 13
In 2007, 38 million bills were produced a day with at total value of $750 million. 33
How much does it cost to make a bill? It cost around 6.2 cents to produce a bill in 2007 considering that 9.1 billion notes were made 33
You can Bet on it - Coin, Bill and Plastic Trivia
Who made the first credit card? The first credit card came out in 1951, produced by American Express. 10What’s 361 feet high that weighs exactly 1 ton?? It’s a stack one million US$1 bills! 10
A US bill weighs 1 gram 11
100 million one-cent coins weights 246 tons. They may seem weighty – but they’re worth 1 million dollars when cashed in. That’s 20,000 coin rolls! 12
The world's largest coins were used in Alaska in 1950. At 3 feet in diameter, these 2 feet wide coins weighed 90 lbs each! Having to create jumbo sized wallets may seem like a pain, but the high value of the coins made it all worth while. Each coin was valued at $2,500. 12
Don't Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is - Dirty Money
Ewwww... 13% of coins and 42% of bills test positive for unpleasant bacteria, such as fecal bacteria14
The metallic odor left on your hands after touching coins and metal objects is actually a type of human body odor. Skin oils break down and decompose after touching iron - creating the oh so familiar coin smell on hands. 15
In Japan, there is an ATM machine that heat presses each bill at 392 degrees for one-tenth of a second before its dispensed... and presto! You’ve got yourself a clean bill.22
Getting Your Money's Worth - Half Life of Currency
How long do bills last? A US $1 bill or a $10 bill last for an average of eighteen months. Five dollar bills last around fifteen months, and twenties kick around for two years. The larger denomination bills can last up to eight years! 16Good thing that the average coin lasts for 25 years, 17 since new pennies cost over 1.67 cents each to make. 18
The average bill is meant to take up to 4000 folds in each direction before it rips. Why's it so strong? Currency paper is 25% linen, making it rip-resistant. 26
95% of the bills are printed just to replace damanged ones that had to be taken out of circulation. In 2007, 45.5% of the notes printed were $1 notes, since those ones get used and degrated most quickly. 26
Funny Money Trivia - Counterfeit Money
3 in every 10,000 US bills is counterfeit. 17Around 75% of counterfeit currency is found and destroyed before it ever reaches the public. 17
Approximately 1 in every 10,000 US bills is such a good counterfeit that it's nicknamed a "superdollar". 19
Money to Burn - World Money Facts and Figures
The global GDP was estimated at $65.82 trillion in 2007, or around $10,000/person 20There are 191 official currencies worldwide 21
The average US household makes $54,453 a year, prior to taxes. And they spend almost 80% of that, leaving only $10,891 for savings. 31
Requiem for a Dollar - Popular Money Names
150 people are called Mr. or Mrs. Money in New York State alone23The name "Bill" was most popular in 1990 compared to any other year24
The study of currency and the history of money is known as Numismatics 25
Stuff that Money Can't Buy - Weird Banking Facts and Trivia
In the US, there are 2 credit cards for member of the population 27On the standard Monopoly board game, there is $5490 worth of potential property 28
Americans fantasize more about money than sex 29
The biggest lottery jackpot of all time was $390 million in the Mega Millions Lottery in the US in March, 2007. 30
How big is the largest money monument? The Big Nickel, located in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada is the largest coin replica in the world according to the Guinness Book of World Records. It stands 9 metres high and 61 centimeters thick. It is not made of nickel. 32
Throwing Money Around - Other Uses for Coins
Those not looking to spend their money on material goods can put their coins to work:- Increase the bloom time of cut flowers by adding a copper penny to the water in your vase
- Measuring – a US quarter measures exactly 1 inch
- Scratching lottery tickets
- Coin flipping “heads and tails”
- Weapon - flick at the tender spots of your opponent
- Golf or bocce ball marker
- Jewelry creations
- Wishing well sacrifice
- Worn in the shoe or another “safe” region of the body for good luck
- Collection for investment or hobbie purposes
- Impromptu screw driver for Coin-struction Toys and miscellaneous uses
- Swallowing, if you’ve got the rare condition known as “pica”, which causes you to eat inedible objects: like coins!
- Magic tricks like the coin behind the ear favourite
- Relieve boredom - flatten on train tracks
Banking, Accounting and Money Facts Online
http://www.didyouknow.cd/fastfacts/money.htm 1 8 10 12 13
http://www.forbes.com/lists/2008/10/billionaires08_Warren-Buffett_C0R3.html 2
http://www.bls.gov/home.htm 3
http://money.cnn.com/2003/12/09/pf/more_sixfigjobs/index.htm 4
http://www.epi.org/content.cfm/webfeatures_snapshots_20060621 5
http://www.thedigeratilife.com/blog/index.php/2007/05/01/5-money-and-currency-facts-your-history-teacher-never-told-you/ 6
http://www.wikipedia.com 7 9 23
http://au.answers.yahoo.com/answers2/frontend.php/question?qid=20080129095325AAo0zA3 11
http://www.fleur-de-coin.com/coinfacts/worldcoins.asp 15
http://www.pbs.org/moneymoves/money_facts/ 16
http://www.frbatlanta.org/index.cfm 17
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wpdyn/content/article/2007/11/12/AR2007111201663.html 18
http://www.isnare.com/?aid=189222&ca=World+Affairs 19
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/print/xx.html 20
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_circulating_currencies 21
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1511/is_n10_v19/ai_21145379 22
http://www.ussearch.com/consumer/index.jsp 24
http://www.ssa.gov/cgi-bin/babyname.cgi 25
http://www.bep.treas.gov/document.cfm/18/106 26
http://facts.330.ca/statistics/ 27
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monopoly_(game) 28
http://www.nichegeek.com/41_money_facts_that_will_blow_you_away 29
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lottery 30
http://www.forbes.com/2006/07/19/cx_de_americanspending_2.html?thisSpeed=6000 31
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Nickel 32
Topics:
