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Money & Its HistoryCurrency

Dollar Bills Are Mostly Cotton

That's why they survive the washing machine

You left a $1 bill and a receipt in your jeans, and they went through the wash. Which one comes out alive?

You'll find out

  • What a dollar bill is made of
  • How many folds it takes to tear one
  • What happens to bills that wear out

Why it matters

You handle bills all your life. Knowing what they're made of explains why they last.

About 3 min6 interactive slides · 5 questionsLesson 151 · Zone 17

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More in this zone

  1. 145Monetary HistoryThe Gold StandardWhen every dollar could be swapped for gold
  2. 146CurrencyThe $100,000 BillIt exists, but you could never spend it
  3. 147Monetary HistoryGreenbacks: Money for a WarThe Civil War gave America paper money backed by law, not gold
  4. 148Fiat MoneyThe Dollar Is Backed by GoldIt hasn't been since 1971
  5. 149Modern MoneyWho Makes the DollarThe Mint, the printing bureau and the Fed
  6. 150TrustThe Stone That SankOn Yap, a giant stone coin lost at sea still counted as wealth, because everyone agreed it existed
  7. 152PaymentsChecks, Cards and TapsHow Americans moved from paper to plastic to phones
  8. 153Behavioral EconomicsThe Endowment EffectOwning something makes it feel worth more