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The DollarAlso referred to as the Federal Reserve note and abbreviated as USD, the US dollar is the official currency of the US. It’s not only the most circulated currency in the world but also considered one of the most stable. Near the end of World War II in 1944, dozens of nations gathered in New Hampshire and agreed to peg their currencies to the US dollar due to its relative stability. The dollar began to dominate global trade soon after. Today, under the Treasury Department, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing produces all circulating paper money. But how paper money in the US is produced has changed frequently since 1690, when the Massachusetts Bay Colony became the first of the 13 original colonies to issue it. US banknotes are made up of 75% cotton and 25% linen. By the end of 2024, there were roughly 55 billion banknotes in circulation, totaling about $2.3T.Explore The Dollar

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Nixon's 1971 decision to untether the dollar from gold ended the Bretton Woods exchange rate systemThe Bretton Woods system initially pegged all major currencies to the US dollar, which could be exchanged for gold at a fixed rate of $35 per ounce. Growing deficits and decreasing gold reserves prompted Nixon to end that guarantee in 1971, marking the end of the fixed exchange rate era. American Express Harry Dexter White outmaneuvered Keynes to make the dollar the center of the new global monetary systemThe chief US Treasury economist at the conference, White, advocated for a dollar-centered exchange rate system over Keynes' competing idea of a new global currency, shaping the postwar economic order for decades. IMF Podcasts The worst things to buy at the dollar store, according to a financial expertSome dollar store products can be low quality, and experts advise not purchasing them. This list includes 17 products to avoid at dollar stores, including batteries, toys, costumes, and more. Kiplinger The dollar’s value stems from public trust and demandIn simple terms, a dollar bill’s value relies on two elements: that people believe it will be accepted in exchange for goods and services, and how much demand for the currency there is. TED British economist John Maynard Keynes originally proposed a global currency called the bancorKeynes—one of the chief architects of the Bretton Woods system—proposed establishing a global central bank that would issue a new international currency, the bancor, to settle trade imbalances. The idea was rejected in favor of the US dollar serving as the main currency of the international system. US Federal Reserve The US dollar has served as the world's reserve currency for 80 years—but is its dominance coming to an end?Since the establishment of the Bretton Woods economic system, about 90% of global foreign exchange transactions have involved USD. Although no viable alternative exists yet, the dollar's share of central bank reserves has decreased from 73% to 58% from 2001 to 2024, and President Trump's 2025 tariffs have sped up this trend. Planet Money TerraUSD offers a cautionary tale of stablecoin useThis stablecoin was completely wiped out in May 2022, losing investors roughly $40B in value, when its linked support token, LUNA, collapsed in value, triggering a spiral that wiped out the dollar peg and left both tokens essentially worthless within days. TerraUSD's creator was sentenced to 15 years in prison in 2025. (Some users may experience a paywall.) The New York Times Some argue that stablecoins are unnecessary due to the ubiquity of the US dollarOthers have criticized fiat-backed stablecoins for their lack of decentralization, believing that digital currencies not controlled by central banks will become more popular in the future. Investopedia Collaterized by crypto, BitUSD is considered the first stablecoinIt was created in 2014 with the intention of making cryptocurrency less volatile. While BitUSD lost its peg to the US dollar in 2018 and never recovered, Tether was created soon after it in 2014 and has had more longevity and success. TradingView Stablecoins could give people in high-inflation economies access to stronger currenciesSpecifically, stablecoins could provide a way to make sure these funds remain valuable during times of volatility. Some examples of people without access to the US dollar using stablecoins as a store of value have been observed in Venezuela. JP Morgan The first stablecoin pegged to the US dollar launched in 2014That coin was Tether, also known as USDT. Other key dates in stablecoin history include Circle's launch of USDC in 2018, and, more recently, President Donald Trump's signing of the GENIUS Act in 2025. Visual Capitalist USDC's reserves were held at Silicon Valley Bank when the bank collapsedOne of the world's largest stablecoin's reserves were held at Silicon Valley Bank, which famously failed in March 2023. USDC briefly lost its peg to the US dollar for a time as a result, within investors pulling out billions of dollars. CNBC The world's largest stablecoins by market capThe largest stablecoin by market cap, Tether (USDT), as well as the second largest, USDC, are both pegged to the US dollar. As of April 2026, Tether had a roughly $184B market cap. CoinMarketCap Learn how stablecoins function in just 4 minutesThis video explains the basics of stablecoins in a beginner-friendly manner. It also dives a bit deeper into the larger stablecoin landscape, detailing, for instance, the many stablecoins backed by fiat currency other than the US dollar, like the euro, the Turkish lira, and the Singapore dollar. Binance North Carolina was the first state to ban payday lendingIn 2001, the North Carolina state legislature let a 1997 law that permitted the small-dollar loans expire—effectively banning payday loans. In 2005, the NC bank commissioner ruled that Advance America, a payday lending company, had been operating in the state illegally. The modern large chain dollar store business model originated in the SouthThe first Dollar General store opened in Kentucky, the first Family Dollar in North Carolina, and the first Dollar Tree in Southern Virginia. To this day, dollar stores have more distribution centers in the South than anywhere else in the US. Tufts The best items to buy at dollar stores, according to a financial expertExperts advise purchasing items like greeting cards, pregnancy tests, candy, gift and party supplies, and other items from the dollar store to maximize savings. Kiplinger In 1955, the first Dollar General store was opened in KentuckyIt was created by a father and son, Cal Turner Sr. and JL Turner. At the time, no item in the store cost more than one dollar, although that has since changed. Atlas Obscura Switzerland's currency is so strong that it could cause deflationEconomic instability in the United States in 2025 strongly benefited Switzerland, where the value of the franc relative to the dollar increased by about 12.7%. In response, the price of imports dramatically decreased, making goods overall much cheaper. CNBC Within an 18-hour period in 1974, 13 states were hit by 148 tornadoesFrom April 3-4, a tornado outbreak killed over 300 people and caused $600M in damage ($3.8B in 2024 dollars). The event revealed deficiencies in various technologies, including crude radar imaging and slow typewriter-based communication systems, which quickly bottlenecked and became outdated as tornado watches became tornado warnings. HISTORY This Week Abraham Lincoln's assassination helped create the multibillion-dollar funeral businessAfter the president was killed in April 1865, he became one of the first well-publicized embalming examples in the US. The burgeoning science enabled his body to go on a multistate tour. Prices soon climbed for the process and fueled more wakes, perhaps helping to lay the foundation for the pricy funeral industry. Weird History The House of Representatives controls the $7T federal budgetThe House holds the exclusive "power of the purse" to initiate revenue bills, a provision in the US Constitution designed to divide power with the Senate and give states with larger populations greater influence over federal budgeting. US House of Representatives Archives The portrait of George Washington was first placed on the one-dollar bill in 1869Trace the history of the US dollar from its colonial roots to its adoption as the national currency. The video explores the word's Germanic origins, how the dollar sign evolved from the Spanish peso, and how Washington's portrait came to define US paper currency. Two Cents Some ads help create ‘symbolic value’ for productsA Rolex watch and a watch from the Dollar Store serve the same purpose: helping the wearer tell the time. But a Rolex is worth thousands of dollars while the Dollar Store watch is costs $1 because of symbolic value, or what the watch says about its wearer. This article helps break down the difference between the two. Psychology Today The US dollar is the most popular note to counterfeitCounterfeit operations are often controlled by rogue governments, drug cartels, and more. These organized crime rings often sell counterfeit bills wholesale, for anywhere between 40 and 70 cents per dollar. Boston Fed The Australian $5 bill has an image of a bird that glows when exposed to UV lightThat’s just one of the many anti-counterfeiting security measures that the Australian government implements on its currency. Popular banknotes from around the world all include their own unique security features—this infographic outlines a few unique ones. Visual Capitalist 'The $64,000 Question' took the quiz show formula to new levelsCreator Louis G. Cowan upped the potential winnings and had his team scour through contestant applications in search of everyday people with exceptional knowledge in a particular area. When the show premiered in 1955, they made the game appear high-tech by using cutting-edge IBM technology to deliver questions. The gambit worked: At one point, 55 million Americans tuned in. PBS Fort Knox was built to be a secure facility for the US Treasury's gold reservesThe gold reserves were previously used to back the US dollar under the gold standard. Although the US went off the gold standard in 1971, Fort Knox continues to store a large portion of the nation's gold reserves. YouTube Google’s CEO has warned that today’s AI boom shows ‘elements of irrationality’An interview with Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai warns that the trillion-dollar surge in AI valuations may contain clear signs of irrationality, echoing past tech bubbles. He says no firm—including Google—would be immune if the boom cools or bursts. BBC The US dollar's value weakened significantly in 2025 amid tariffsExperts at US Bank predicted in August 2025, that the downward trend was likely to continue, although they acknowledged that uncertainty remains high. As tariffs moved to the center of the White House’s agenda, all G10 currencies grew stronger against the dollar—the Swiss franc even posted double-digit gains. UBS Each design detail on the US $1 bill has significanceThe eye in the triangle floating above the pyramid, for instance, is “the Eye of Providence watching over and ensuring the endurance of the structure of the American government.” This article details every design choice’s significance on the dollar—and a few conspiracies around these choices as well. Reader's Digest Today, the rapper 50 Cent would be 109 CentWhile the rapper 50 Cent got his name decades ago, adjusted for inflation, 50 Cent would be 109 Cent as of 2025. FlowingData Roughly 22% of US tax dollars go to Social SecuritySocial security is the US government’s largest expense. You can see other government expenses in a visual breakdown of what one US tax dollar actually pays for. Total spending amounts were converted to cents on the dollar and percentages. Visual Capitalist Internet domain names can be worth millions of dollarsAnd yet, the mysterious man who owns Milk.com likely isn't selling his valuable site any time soon. Planet Money The game 'Counter-Strike' was developed in a dorm roomCollege student Minh Le designed the game through "modding," effectively building on the code of a preexisting game, the game "Half-Life" in his spare time. The New York Times 'The Million Dollar Homepage' is a snapshot of a dead internetIn 2005, 21-year-old Alex Tew set out to make $1M by selling $1 pixels on his website, effectively creating a standalone internet billboard. The gambit worked, and because the advertisements were one-time payments, the site looks the same as it did in 2005, despite many of the advertised sites going defunct since. Nostalgia Nerd The Juke 8 was the world's first karaoke machineDaisuke Inoue invented the machine in 1971 by combining an amplifier, microphone, and 8-track machine, though he never patented it and, as a result, never collected royalties from the billion-dollar industry. Great Big Story Only 34% of Americans supported the Apollo program in 1967After a fire killed three astronauts on the launchpad of Apollo 1, the public became ambivalent about funding the multibillion-dollar program until the successful moon landing in 1969. The landers alone cost $388M, while each spacesuit cost $100,000. BBC The billion-dollar ghost town in BaltimoreAs a Rust Belt city looking to revitalize its economic core, Baltimore, Maryland, sought big investments from developers and municipalities. The so-called Baltimore Peninsula is a billion-dollar neighborhood in south Baltimore initially prompted by the investment of Under Armour CEO Kevin Plank. In 2025, the glossy, grand urban neighborhood is still empty, with fully-built condos and retail spaces. Building Tales Many years ago, the US dollar became the world's primary reserve currencyIn 1944, 44 nations gathered in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, to rebuild the global economy. The result? The US dollar became the world’s reserve currency, backed by gold. 1440 In 1792, Congress established the first national mint to produce all the coins in the USAt the same time, the US also started producing the dollar, its first official currency. The US Mint has since issued coins throughout the country. Official Site of the United States Mint The US has used a wide variety of different currencies between the 1690s and todayFrom colonial money to national banknotes, people have used all kinds of forms of currency throughout the history of the United States before settling on the dollar bills and quarters that we pay for things with today. U.S. Currency Education Program The US dollar is the official currency of the United States and is the most circulated currency around the worldThe US dollar was established in 1792 and comes in the form of coins or paper money. It's considered one of (if not the most) stable currencies in the world due to America’s strong and robust economy, as well as its relatively stable government. Investopedia Macy’s doesn’t own its flagship location because of the 'million dollar corner'When Macy’s moved to the Herald Square location, it reached a verbal agreement to acquire that corner of land—but at the last minute, it was sold to a rival store for roughly $1M. The Real Deal How much is your parental mental load worth?As anyone who has driven their kids to soccer practice multiple times a week can tell you, parents and children are chronically over-scheduled. Now, there's a calculator to help parents find the dollar value of what their invisible workload is worth—from meal planning to coordinating after-school care—along with a number of resources to help generate solutions. Skylight The lifespan of a dollar billDurable, made of a cotton blend, and with billions in circulation, the common dollar bill is made to last. This video from 1440 goes inside the life of the country's paper currency, from printing to purchasing, in this quick 60-second overview. 1440 Student debt is a trillion-dollar questionFormer Purdue University president Mitch Daniels and others discuss the student debt crisis. This episode digs into how we got here, whether college is worth borrowing for, how to address the economic drag of student debt, and whether alternative routes to a four-year degree could be part of the solution. Freakonomics The trillion-dollar coin is a proposed platinum coin with a face value of $1T, which could be used to reduce the national debtThis conceptual strategy was first proposed in 2011 as a potential alternative to raising the US debt ceiling. Although there were several high-profile proponents of the idea, it was eventually rejected in 2013 by Treasury Department and Federal Reserve officials. Investopedia Visualizing the multibillion dollar cost of US weather disastersThe US has sustained 332 weather and climate disasters since 1980 where overall damages/costs reached or exceeded $1B (including CPI adjustment to 2022). The total cost of these 332 events exceeds $2.275T. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration The economics of all-you-can-eat buffetsIs it possible to out-eat the price you pay for a buffet? How do these places make money? We looked at the dollars and cents behind the meat and potatoes. The Hustle

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