Money WondersPlay

Money & Its HistoryHistory of Money

Why It's Called a Dollar

The name started in a silver mine in Bohemia

Every dollar you've ever earned is named after a silver valley in Europe. How did that word end up on your paycheck?

You'll find out

  • Where the word dollar was born
  • Why a quarter is two bits
  • What the $ sign started as

Why it matters

The words on your money carry its history, and a few surprises nobody told you about.

About 3 min6 interactive slides · 5 questionsLesson 8 · Zone 1

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More in this zone

  1. 1Modern MoneyWhere Is Your Money?Your balance is a number on a screen; only about one US dollar in ten exists as cash
  2. 2What Money IsWhat Is Money, Really?Swap it, price with it, save it, and believe in it
  3. 3Time and MoneyWhat's Your Hour Really Worth?Your real hourly wage is lower than your paycheck says
  4. 4CoinsThe Four-Cent PennyMaking a cent cost the US Mint almost four, so in 2025 it stopped
  5. 5History of MoneyFrom Shells to CoinsCowrie shells, silver lumps and the first stamped coins
  6. 6History of MoneyThe Barter MythTextbooks say people bartered before money. Anthropologists can't find it
  7. 7History of MoneyPaper PromisesThe first paper money was an IOU you could pass on
  8. 9OpportunityAcres of DiamondsIn a famous 1890 lecture, a farmer sells his land to hunt the world for diamonds; the next owner finds them in the backyard stream