While at a trivia night, one of the questions was "Who is on the $500 bill". I didn't know the answer (if you don't know either, keep reading to find out who is on each bill) seeing how I've never possessed a $500 bill and denominations that large are pretty rare.
Who can afford $500, $1,000, $5,000, $10,000, and $100,000 bills? What if you lost it or it was destroyed somehow? What business can handle making change from a $500 bill or larger?
Large denomination bills ($500 and larger) were meant for transactions between banks and were not necessarily intended for circulation. Obviously, back in the day they couldn't electronically transfer funds like we can now. These big bills were last printed in 1945 and the Federal Bank Reserve stopped distributing them in 1969. However, these bills are still legal tender.
The $100,000 bill (or more appropriately called a bank transfer note) was only made from December 18, 1934 to January 9, 1935. They were only for transactions between Federal Reserve Banks and were not circulated to the general public. According to the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, all 42,000 of the $100,000 bills that were printed have been accounted for. They are mostly in museums or collections. To make a long story short, any $100,000 that you might find is a fake.
Now it's time for a little trivia. Who is on the:
1.) $1 bill?
2.) $2 bill?
3.) $5 bill?
4.) $10 bill?
5.) $20 bill?
6.) $50 bill?
7.) $100 bill?
8.) $500 bill?
9.) $1,000 bill?
10.) $5,000 bill?
11.) $10,000 bill?
12.) $100,000 bill?
Continue reading to see the answers.
And the answers are:
1.) George Washington is on the $1 bill.
2.) Thomas Jefferson is on the $2 bill.
3.) Abraham Lincoln is on the $5 bill.
4.) Alexander Hamilton is on the $10 bill.
5.) Andrew Jackson is on the $20 bill.
6.) Ulysses S. Grant is on the $50 bill.
7.) Benjamin Franklin is on the $100 bill.
8.) William McKinley is on the $500 bill.
9.) Grover Cleveland is on the $1,000 bill.
10.) James Madison is on the $5,000 bill.
11.) Salmon P. Chase is on the $10,000 bill. (Bonus points if you know who the heck Salmon P. Chase is!)
12.) Woodrow Wilson is on the $100,000 bill.
Salmon P. Chase was Lincoln's Secretary of the Treasury. He is one of three non-presidents to be featured on U.S. bills. Do you know the other two? Alexander Hamilton and Benjamin Franklin. Alexander Hamilton was a Founding Father, the first Secretary of the Treasury, and famously died in a duel with Aaron Burr. Remember the "Got Milk?" commercial? Benjamin Franklin was a Founding Father and inventor. Hello, bifocal glasses and lightning rod.
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