Money has been around ever since people began to trade things with one another. At first it was sea shells, stones, or other little trinkets. Eventually it turned into various types of metals such as gold. Over time that gold became coins and paper money. While the history of currency is extremely interesting, that is not the sole topic of today’s list. We are going to have a look at some extremely intriguing facts about money. For example, did you know that one penny costs 2.4 pennies to produce? Or did you know that North Korea is the top counterfeiter of United States currency? Actually, on the topic of counterfeit currency, one of the ways to spot a counterfeit bill is to look for something that is too good. That’s right, the authorities often identify counterfeit bills as a result of their perfection. When we speak of currency though, we’re not just talking about bank notes. We are also talking about newer forms of payment like credit cards and virtual currency. In this list we are going to go over all of it. So, get ready because these are 25 little known facts about money and currency!
90% of US dollars carry traces of cocaine
Source: cnn.com, Image: wikipediaIf you thought carrying traces of cocaine was bad, the Southern Medical Journal found traces of fecal matter on 94% of dollar bills tested
Source: Southern Medical Journal, Image: wikipediaAll the US coins and dollar bills in circulation today are worth about $1.2 trillion
Source: federalreserve.gov, Image: wikipedia66% of all US cash is held overseas by foreign governments and individuals
Source: discovermagazine.com, Image: wikipedia1,400 years ago China created the first paper money
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipediaSwitching US 1 dollar bills from paper to coins would save the government nearly $4.5 billion over the next 30 years
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipediaEvery year, more monopoly money is printed than real money
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipediaMoving past simple bank notes, throughout the world US wealth accounts for $75 trillion. If this were to be evenly distributed among every person on Earth, we would all have $11,000
Source: wikipedia, Image: pixabayNorth Korea is the largest counterfeiter of US currency
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipediaIf you have $10 in your wallet and no debt then you are wealthier than one quarter of Americans
Source: forbes.com, Image: wikipediaIf Bill Gates spent $1 million every day, it would take him 218 years to spend all of his money
Source: businessinsider.com, Image: wikipediaYou’ve probably never seen money in this form before? Check out these 25 extremely cool examples of money origami.
Until World War II, tea bricks were used as currency in Siberia and Asia
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipediaSeashells used to be a fairly common form of currency in many parts of the world
Source: wikipedia, Image: pixabayMore than 34% of an American's take-home income is spent on interest (credit cards, loans, etc)
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipediaThe flu virus can remain infectious on a dollar bill for up to two weeks
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipediaStudies have found that arguing about money is the top predictor of divorce
Source: k-state.edu, Image: wikipediaThe first credit card that could be used at multiple establishments was invented by Frank McNamara because he forgot his wallet when he was out to dinner with friends
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipediaNearly 50% of Americans report that they are unable to pay a $400 emergency expense without borrowing
Source: wsj.com, Image: wikipediaUS paper money isn't really paper. It's cloth.
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipediaIn fact, 200 years ago people repaired torn bills with a needle and thread.
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipediaBob Marley's last words were "money can't buy life"
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipediaCounterfeit dollars can actually be too good. In fact, fake bills are quite often detected because they look too real.
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipediaThe first pennies were 100% copper
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipediaToday, they are 95% zinc
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipediaBut one penny still costs 2.4 cents to manufacture
Source: cnn.com, Image: wikipediaLists Going Viral Right Now
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