United States Dollar

money · history · United States

Born in 1792. The Coinage Act created the U.S. dollar and split it into 100 cents, just like how dollars are divided today. This law also let the government make official coins with dollar values.

Spanish silver dollar inspiration. When America needed a currency, it matched the U.S. dollar's value to the Spanish silver dollar, which was already popular in trade around the world.

Greenbacks get their name. U.S. paper money is called greenbacks because the back side of the bills is printed in green ink. This nickname has stuck around for over 100 years.

Federal Reserve Notes. The paper dollars you see today are officially called Federal Reserve Notes, and they're printed and controlled by the Federal Reserve, which is America's central bank.