The US dollar is one of the world's reserve currencies with a long and mysterious history. Particularly noteworthy is the time of the emergence of the dollar and the acquisition of modern design by banknotes.
The origins of the dollar
By itself, the word "dollar" originated in medieval Europe. At that time, in Bohemia, which previously occupied the Czech land, silver coins were printed - joachimsthalers, which for short were called thalers. They quickly became an international means of payment, and each European nation gave them their own, language-friendly name. For example, in Spain - "thalero", in Holland - "dalder", and in England - "dallar". A little later, the word "dallar" became "dollar".
At the end of the 18th century, when the United States of America was actively developing, the emergence of its own monetary system began. Initially, it was silver money - dollars, the weight of which was 27 g. Beginning in 1794, the production of metallic dollars began in the United States, and already in 1797 the state began issuing banknotes (paper notes). Then this money did not yet make up a full-fledged currency of the country, since there were no uniform requirements for it. Each state freely issued bills with their own designs. Only at the end of the 19th century did the authorities manage to take control of the issue of banknotes.
How the dollar sign appeared
It has not yet been established how the famous dollar sign actually appeared. There are several theories in world history, one of which can be called the closest to reality. In accordance with it, the dollar sign was first used in 1778 by the New Orleans merchant Oliver Pollock, who was of Irish origin. He supplied American military patriotic formations during the Civil War.
When making calculations, the entrepreneur indicated in front of the proceeds in the accounting books an icon in which the letters P and S were intertwined. Invoices drawn up in this way were transferred by Pollock to the famous American politician of the time, Robert Morris. Subsequently, it was Morris who became the first official to use the dollar sign in government documents.
The letters P and S were shorthand for the plural of the Spanish peso. These coins were minted in the territory of modern Mexico and for the first time were actively used in domestic trade in the nascent United States of America. As a result, this icon began to denote the currency officially accepted in the country - dollars. At the same time, two vertical sticks appeared on the symbol, as it is believed, in honor of the Pillars of Hercules (Gibraltar) - the heights that lay on the sea route connecting the Old and New Worlds.
Modern currency
The modern design of dollar bills was received in 1928. An interesting fact is that it was developed by the artist Sergei Makronovsky, who emigrated from Russia. It was he who decided to depict portraits of famous US statesmen on banknotes. Also, the banknotes depicted the symbolism of the Great Seal (the state emblem) - an eagle surrounded by arrows and an olive tree. As for the famous symbol of the "All-Seeing Eye" - a pyramid with a human eye, it was depicted as a reminder of the greatness of the Masson Lodge, involved in the creation and development of the United States.
The green color in banknotes also did not appear immediately, but only in 1929. Before that, white, blue and other inks were used in printing, but later it turned out that green dye is cheaper and more resistant to external influences. Also, the authorities decided that this color inspires a sense of optimism and trust in money, which is why it became official. It is worth noting that since 2004, the government again decided to issue bills of various colors.
