61 INCREDIBLY FUN FACTS ABOUT MONEY I BET YOU DIDN’T KNOW
I love money. I love the smell of it. I love the feel of it as I swim around in it à la Scrooge McDuck. After burning the midnight oil and reading through the National Archives, I have the following money facts I know you will enjoy.
ONE BILL WEIGHS 1 GRAM, AND 454 BILLS EQUAL ONE POUND
This means if you have $1 million in singles, it would weigh over 1 ton! A suitcase of $1 million in $100 bills weighs over 20 pounds! Speaking of $100 bills, close to 80% of the U.S. currency is in $100 bills.
THE MOST COUNTERFEITED DENOMINATION IS THE $20 BILL
The U.S. $100 bill is the most frequently counterfeited in foreign countries. And since we are on the topic of counterfeiting, according to the Coinage Act of 1972, counterfeiting by Mint employees is punishable by death.
We’ve all heard how dirty money is and how there are traces of cocaine on 90% of dollar bills. But did you know that paper cash is dirtier than a household toilet? Stop putting money in your mouth when in a hurry at the checkout line!
Most people think the first gold rush was in 1849 in California. But in 1799, a 12-year-old boy found a 17-pound gold nugget on his family’s farm. Word spread fast, and the gold rush soon followed.
THE AVERAGE PERSON HAS $56 OF LOOSE CHANGE IN THEIR HOUSE
Other than the couch, I don’t know where this loose change is hiding, but apparently, it’s there. My question is, how did they complete this research study? Did they assign people to go into people’s homes and dig around?
Sticking with the lottery, a person who drives 10 miles to buy a lottery ticket is three times more likely to die in a car accident while driving to buy the ticket than in winning the lottery.
It is a blend of cotton and linen, 75% cotton and 25% linen, to be exact. In Benjamin Franklin’s time, people would repair torn bills using a needle and thread.
THE GAMBLING INDUSTRY EARNED $61 BILLION IN REVENUE LAST YEAR
Last year saw record revenue for the industry, and sports betting continues to grow in size. For comparison, the music industry brought in $28.8 billion, the movie industry earned $36.8 billion.