91 Crazy Money Facts You Wish You Knew Sooner

Learning about money is always interesting, and at times, scary. Here are 91 money facts to really open your eyes to the importance it has to our lives.

1. The word “salary” comes from the word “sal”, meaning “salt” in Latin. Early Romans used salt as money to exchange for other goods.

2. The average American will pay more than $600,000 in interest over their lifetime. Yes, that’s right. $600,000.

3. Twelve percent of the money taken home by the average American family is spent on interest.

4. One million in $1 bills would weigh 2,040lbs, but one million in $100 bills would weigh only 20.4lbs.

5. 47% of Americans cannot cover a $400 expense without borrowing money or selling something.

6. There are 293 different ways to make change for $1.

7. 38 million notes with a value of $541 million are printed every single day.

8. The International Space Station is the most expensive object ever built. It cost $150 billion U.S.

9. The motto on the first U.S. coin was “Mind Your Business.”

10. 95% of the notes printed each year replace those already in circulation.

11. The world’s worst inflation ever recorded was in Zimbabwe. There was a 6.5 sextillion percent inflation rate in 2008.

12. Almost half of all notes printed are $1 bills.

13. Apple earns approximately $300,000 in revenue per minute.

14. Counterfeit currency is frequently detected because they are more perfect than actual currency.

15. The most counterfeited dollar bill is the $20 bill.

16. Paper bills are made of 75% cotton & 25% linen.

17. Only 8% of currency is in physical form (coins, notes etc.). The rest is digital.

18. Even if he was spending $1 million a day, it would take Bill Gates 218 years to spend all of his money.

19. There are between 7.5 and 9 billion $1 bills in circulation at any given time.

20. 96% of Americans will not be able to retire by age 65.

21. All U.S. bills cost less than 20 cents to make.

22. The largest U.S. currency was the $100,000 bill. Makes perfect sense as to why it never caught on.

23. 454 bills are equal to 1 lb.

24. Each bank printed its own money until the Federal Reserve was established in 1913.

25. The only number on a coin is the year it was minted.

26. The U.S. went off the gold standard on August 15th, 1971.

27. The slang word “buck” comes from the time before paper money, when Americans would trade buck animals for goods and services.

28. Martha Washington is the only woman to appear on a U.S. currency note back in 1886, 1891, and 1896.

29. The first paper money was made in China around 1,000 years ago.

30. The largest denomination ever printed was in Hungary in 1946, worth 100 quintillion Pengos.

31. Pablo Escobar had so much hidden money, that rats ate approximately $1 billion in cash.

32. The U.S. officially adopted the dollar as its unit of currency in 1785.

33. The motto “In God We Trust” first appeared in 1963.

34. The total amount of outstanding student loan debt hit $1 trillion in 2012.

35. There are 119 grooves on the outside of a quarter.

36. The average new car loan is now more than $30,000.

37. One in five American adults have a zero or negative net worth.

38. Gambling in the U.S. brings in more revenue than theme parks, sporting events, cruise ships and music combined.

39. 37% of all households carry some sort of credit card debt.

40. The first gold rush in the U.S. happened in 1799 in North Carolina, when a 12-year-old boy found a 17-pound gold nugget on his family’s farm.

41. The first coins were made about 2,500 years ago.

42. No living person can have their face on US coins or bills.

43. The $1 bill hasn’t had a redesign in over 50 years.

44. The Secret Service was originally created to fight counterfeiting in 1865.

45. Sea shells were once commonly used as money in many parts of the world.

46. 85–95% of paper money contains traces of cocaine. Yep, this has to be the one that shocked me the most, too.

47. A $1 bill lasts an average of 18 months. A $5 bill lasts two years. A $10 bill lasts three years. A $20 bill lasts four years. $50 and $100 bills last an average of nine years.

48. Queen Isabella of Spain was the first woman to appear on a U.S. coin.

49. Walter Cavanagh, otherwise known as Mr. Plastic Fantastic, has more than 13,000 credit cards to his name.

50. A bill can be folded 4,000 times forward and backward before it will rip.

51. The 1913 Liberty Head nickel sold for $43.7 million, with only 5 known to exist.

52. The average adult has between 8 and 10 credit cards.

53. Credit cards originated in the U.S. during the 1920s and could be used at individual companies.

54. Security threads on different U.S. bills glow in different colours.

55. The first credit card that could be used at a variety of companies was introduced by the Diner’s Club in 1950.

56. The first national bank card was BankAmericard, which began in California with Bank of America in 1958. It was later renamed VISA in 1976.

57. The $1 bill contains many references to the original 13 colonies.

58. A farm in Delaware mulches 4 tons of U.S. bills into compost daily.

59. A two-cent coin was minted between 1864 and 1873.

60. The term “cash cow” originated from early forms of currency in the form of livestock.

61. Many communities throughout the U.S. have their own currency, such as Walt Disney World.

62. Coins have ridges to deter counterfeiting, as people used to shave the edges off coins back when they were made of gold and silver.

63. It takes 12–15 years of training to become a money engraver.

64. Over 50% of all lottery tickets are bought by 5% of people.

65. Pennies planted in your garden will actually repel slugs.

66. There is an ATM in Antarctica.

67. The word “cash” originated in ancient China, where a bundle of 100 coins was called one cash.

68. A penny costs more than a penny to make (about 2.4 cents).

69. The penny is the only coin where the figure faces to the right.

70. The word “cent” is derived from the Latin centum, meaning “hundred.”

71. The bird on the silver dollar was a real eagle named Peter.

72. Putting bills in the microwave for about 20 seconds will make them crispy again. Don’t take our word for it, though.

73. Queen Elizabeth II has appeared on more currency than any other person.

74. Benjamin Franklin and Alexander Hamilton are the only non-President to appear on a U.S. bill.

75. Coins can last an average of 30 years in circulation.

76. 7 tons of ink is used to print money every day.

77. Over 60% of U.S. currency is found outside the U.S.

78. Money is estimated to be dirtier than a toilet.

79. North Korea is the country with the most counterfeit American currency.

80. Lady Liberty was on the quarter for over 100 years before being replaced by George Washington in 1932.

81. Dimes are cheaper to make than nickels.

82. The original Article of Confederation (the predecessor to the Constitution) gave states the right to make their own money.

83. There are over 170 different currencies in use around the world.

84. Quarters were originally made of silver.

85. The first Philadelphia Mint used horses in harness to drive the machinery that produced coins.

86. The total outstanding U.S. consumer debt is currently $3.9 trillion.

87. $2 bills are largely considered unlucky.

88. The TSA collected $765,759.15 in loose change at airport security checkpoints in 2015.

89. All U.S. dollar bills are printed in either Washington, D.C. or Fort Worth, Texas.

90. The study of money is called numismatics.

91. Today’s pennies are made from 95% zinc and coated in copper.

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