Money, money, money!
Like it or not, we all need money to survive this world, and the fact that you are here
right now, watching this video means that you probably think it's important also.
But as you earn, spend and save that penny, how much do you know about it?
Do you know that the lifespan of a $1 bill is just 18 months?
Or that $2 bills are considered lucky?
We bet you didn't, and that's why we are here today, to awe you with facts about that penny
that you're keeping in your wallet.
So, here are psychological money facts that will blow your mind.
1.
Paper money is not made of paper This interesting fact about money proves that
your whole childhood has been a lie.
You might as well go and ask for your tuition back.
Paper money is not made of actual paper, it's made of a wear-resistant material that consists
of 75% linen and 25% cotton variants.
With such a mixture, it makes money more durable and therefore increases its strength.
Back in the days, before the 1870s, money was extremely easy to duplicate because it
was made of parchment paper.
Nowadays, with its distinct look and feel, it's not so easy to duplicate, making it quite
hard to forge.
The only legit way to acquire it is the old fashioned way, you have to work for it.
2.
The origin of the dollar symbol "$" Have you ever thought of the origin of the
dollar symbol?
You'd be shocked to find that the famous sign isn't related to America at all.
It's simply because of the abbreviation of the United States, US, that most people thought
that the symbol came from S and U being nested together.
The truth is that the dollar sign existed even before the American currency.
In the Middle Ages, Spanish colonists had occupied America, and during that time, the
most common currency was Spain's currency, notated as Ps, which was used to designate
the Mexican pesos, and the letter S stood for the Spanish emblem.
When Gold bars moved to the United States, they were marked with the letter S. When the
gold was brought in the States, its bar was marked with a vertical line and added another
line whenever it was brought out of the US.
When the United States gained its independence, it retained the dollar symbol.
So the next time you use that dollar, remember that it was once Spain's real currency.
3.
American money doesn't belong to America Talk of the dollar sign not being related
to America, you'd be shocked that even their money doesn't belong to them.
Well, it does belong to them but, a lot of it is located outside their border.
Get what we mean?
Okay, don't worry because in just a few you'll find out.
America is a growing continent, and for that, its economy is growing day by day.
This makes their currency defaulted as an international standard worldwide that's accepted
for payment in most parts of the world.
If you haven't noticed, the dollar functions as a second currency worldwide in that most
world trade is priced in dollars.
This means it's held in large quantities by central banks around the globe for use as
the medium of exchange.
Therefore, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of the U.S government 65% of US dollars
which is an estimate of $580 billion, is out of the country and there's no way to track
it.
Despite that, the US dollar will likely remain the global currency of choice until a global
digital money system is invented and accepted.
4.
Money is really dirty Have you ever thought of how the money in
your pocket got to you?
Look at it this way, you've just paid for your meal at a restaurant, they've given you
change.
That money is probably someone else's money who didn't wash their hands after visiting
the toilet.
You take it and head home.
At home, you use your phone without washing your hands, then after a while, head to your
kitchen and fill your mouth with the apple you left at the counter in the morning.
Now, before we even go further, when you get a stomach ache, will you remember the money
you took home from the restaurant?
Or will you just blame the food you ate at the restaurant?
80% of folks will blame the restaurant.
But the truth is, money is not as clean as we think.
Money contains thousands of different viruses, and given how cash circulated around, if there's
an outbreak of a disease, money should not be used unless we want it to infect everyone.
It's said that a flu virus can survive up to 17 days on paper money and can be a link
to food poisoning.
Apart from germs and all, when rolled up, money is used by many addicts as inhalers
which is why 70% of paper money have traces of hard drugs.
The fact remains that you can't control having money since you need money for everyday use.
However, you can wash your hands a couple of times a day, especially with Covid still
with us.
5.
The lifespan of a $1 bill is just 18 months.
Even though you've just found out that money is made of cotton and linen, the sad part
is that it can't last forever.
Even our clothes do tear up after a while.
Whoever told you that money can last forever lied.
Depending on the denomination, money can last 18 months to 30years.
Here's a breakdown of how long it lasts.
The $1 bill is the most used as it is passed between users frequently.
Because of this, it has the least lifespan of 18 months.
As for the $5 bill, $10 bill, $20bill, $50 bill, and $100 bill they last 2 years, 3 years,
4 years, 9 years, and 9 years respectively.
The larger denomination bills tend to last longer than the lower denomination.
Before we continue, did you know that approximately 4,000 double folds are required to tear a
note?
If you didn't, now you know.
6.
Peter the Mint Eagle You've probably seen this eagle in several
US coins.
But did you ever imagine that, the eagle could have a name?
Meet Peter the Mint Eagle.
It was recognized between the year 1830 to 1836 when it used to fly over the rooftop
of the U.S mint building in Philadelphia.
Mint is a bureau of the Treasury Department that creates the coins of the United States.
One day when it did its usual and flew up the rooftop, it got its wing stuck on the
flywheel of a coining press and broke when the flywheel suddenly started.
As they had seen it a couple of times before, the Mint employees took it and gave it the
best care.
Unfortunately, its injuries were wholesome, and it didn't survive.
The employees named it Peter the mint Eagle.
After his death, the employees used him as a template for coin engraving.
To celebrate his life, they decided to make a beautiful eagle bronze statue on a petrified
tree stump near the body of Peter.
Now, when you visit the U.S mint, at the entrance, you'll be greeted by Peter the Mint eagle.
7.
The funniest money note During world war I, when sufficient state-produced
money was scarce from the central park, Germany and Austria produced notgeld, AKA emergency
money.
Notgeld is money issued by an institution during a political or economical crisis.
It was during this time that weird Notgeld was produced.
The weirdest and yet the funniest of them all, which has even been recorded as the funniest
money note in the world, is the Two Mark Notgeld.
While other historical notes gave a unique view on a country's economic and political
validation, they printed a donkey grazing while pooping on the grass.
If it was produced just to get laughs from people or if it had a hidden meaning, nobody
knows.
But it remains the most ridiculous currency in history.
8.
Queen Elizabeth appears the most on paper money
Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth the II, is the longest-living and second longest-reigning
in the British monarchy.
Apart from the royal crown, she also takes the crown in having appeared in more than
128 different note designs.
As young as eight years old, when she was a princess, Queen Elizabeth was featured on
Canada's $20 bill.
Ever since then, her portrait has been used in many currencies as well as on the British
Pound.
Being the head of Britain's commonwealth, she is also considered the head of state of
many commonwealth member nations.
This prompted her portrait to show up on the notes of nearly three dozen such nations.
She has even surpassed the record set by her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria who
appeared on the coinage of 21 countries, and her grandfather King George V who appeared
on just 19.
She's really aiming for the best, isn't she?
Long live the Queen.
9.
Microwaving your bill can get the vending machine to accept it.
How many times have you stood in front of a vending machine frustrated because it won't
accept your dollar bill?
Probably more than you care to admit, but don't worry, you'll know why and also get
to know how to fix that, well if it's fixable, that is.
The dollar bill validator works differently from the cashier, who would gladly accept
the same dollar bill the machine rejected.
The vending machine will reject your bill if your dollar is dirty or worn out.
As we told you before, money picks up a lot of dirt in the course of its travel from one
person to another.
The dirt is then built upon the validator, preventing the photocells from reading your
bill.
The same things happen when your bill is worn out.
For such a small device, its responsibility is quite a lot.
By microwaving your bill, some believe that it works the same as ironing a bill to make
it new.
First, you have to get your bill then put it next to a fan to dry off.
After drying out, place the dollar in your microwave for 30 seconds or less.
Afterward, your bill may be good to go to the vending machine.
Don't try this at home though, you may not get the results you want and end up burning
the dollar or worse your house.
Did you know that if you had 10 billion $1 notes and decided to spend one every second
of every day, it would sustain you for 317 years until you go broke?.
Interesting, huh?
Just thought you should know that.
10.
There is a $2 bill in the United States.
We're sure at one point in your life you've probably wondered what's the deal with the
$2 bill and why they're so rare.
The story of the $2 bill goes way back to 1862 when the federal government printed its
first paper bills.
During that time, most folks earned less than $15 a month, and a lot of things cost less
than a dollar giving the $2 bill practical use.
Even when the economy grew, the $2 bill wasn't used much, and it then became the perfect
note for some rather nefarious purposes.
Having a $2 bill would indicate you're a gambler, you've been bribed by a politician, or you're
spending nights with hookers.
It was just a bill that would get you in trouble.
With such a reputation, it became even less popular.
If two $1 could give you $2, why have a full $2 and get in trouble?
The government stopped making them and several years went by with no twos until the government
treasury decided to produce a special $2 bill for the country's bicentennial, with a big
picture of the signing of the Declaration of Independence on the back.
They turned out so beautiful that instead of people using them, they decided to save
them as collector's items and passed them down to loved ones.
There are still $2 bills in the banks, so if you want some, you could talk to your bank.
So, thank you all so much for watching and before you go, remember to subscribe to the
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With that being said, have a great day and see you all in the next one!