00:00The American dream is a house, a car, and money.
00:10Moolah. Cash. Dollars. Dough.
00:13No matter what you call it, how you make it, or how you feel about it,
00:17one in three Americans thinks more about money than any other topic on a given day.
00:21The word money, I associate with greed and capitalism.
00:30Being broke is just not in my DNA.
00:34Money makes me feel secure and insecure.
00:38We work our whole lives for a piece of paper.
00:40Having money's not everything, not having it is.
00:43Money makes me happy, definitely.
00:46Although only 8% of the world's currency is actual physical money,
00:50nothing is quite as seductive as cold, hard cash.
00:55How money is made and created is an enigma.
00:58I haven't figured that out, but I've wondered about it.
01:03Paper money was first issued by the U.S. government in 1861
01:07as a way to pay for goods and services related to Civil War costs.
01:11Though final currency designs are ultimately approved by the Secretary of the Treasury,
01:16the Bureau of Engraving and Printing is responsible for dreaming up the designs,
01:21manufactured elements, and printing of American paper money.
01:27Designing a new note can take several years and multiple hands.
01:32Note designs always include imagery that upholds the strength of the American economy
01:36and incorporates the latest in anti-counterfeiting elements.
01:41They also feature a portrait of an important historical figure on the front,
01:45like this guy, Andrew Jackson,
01:47with a notable American monument or theme on the back.
01:52Who's on the $100 bill, Drew?
01:54I can't think. I can't think. Who's on it?
02:01It's Andrew Jackson, the thing.
02:03I like Ben Franklin. Isn't it Ben Franklin?
02:05That's what rap music teaches me, I think.
02:08My boy Benjamin Franklin is on the $100 bill.
02:10It's all about the Benjamins.
02:14After a design is locked, an engraver, who must train for 12 to 15 years,
02:19recreates the designer's drawings in steel by hand.
02:23The engraving is actually done backwards,
02:26so that faces and words are legible once printed.
02:29Through a process called sidrography,
02:32individual engraved elements are combined to form a complete face or back of a banknote.
02:37Each small detail plays a huge part in making the design not only beautiful,
02:42but also virtually impossible to copy.
02:45On the back of the $1 note is the Great Seal.
02:48Its imagery alludes to the 13 original colonies,
02:52including 13 stars above the eagle and 13 steps on the pyramid.
03:00Once the master plate is completed,
03:02it's washed with deionized water and soaked in a vibrant orange potassium bichromate solution
03:09that prevents the plate from rusting.
03:11Then the plate is placed into a tank,
03:13filled with a nickel salt solution for about 22 hours.
03:17During this time, an electrical current causes an identical nickel plate
03:21to grow on top of the plastic master.
03:24Science is crazy, right?
03:26This exact replica is then meticulously inspected by engravers for accuracy.
03:31If there are any mistakes, the entire process has to start over.
03:35The final printing plates are then coated with a thin layer of chrome
03:39and are one-tenth as thick as an average human hair.
03:50Contrary to popular belief, money isn't actually made from paper,
03:54but printed on a material made from 75% cotton and 25% linen.
04:04The special inks used for money have trackable, magnetic, and color-shifting properties.
04:11Green was originally selected for U.S. dollars as a deterrent for counterfeiters.
04:16Psychologically, it's also a color associated with stability and growth.
04:28After the 72-hour drying process,
04:31the freshly printed currency passes through a series of rigorous physical and mechanical inspections
04:36using state-of-the-art computer and camera technology.
04:42Then, the currency sheets are cut, packaged, and transferred to the Federal Reserve,
04:47who distributes the money to banks around the country.
04:51The Federal Reserve estimates that there are currently over 40 billion U.S. notes in circulation,
04:56with a value of $1.5 trillion.
05:00As these dollars are increasingly being earned by women, one question still lingers.
05:05Why aren't there more women on money?
05:07Oh my God, this is such a complicated answer.
05:10I think it is part of this American culture.
05:12They put women a little bit, you know, behind.
05:16They could have had plenty of women that were worthy enough to get on the bill,
05:20but, you know, it's a white man's game.
05:22This world is a patriarchal society, and that needs to change.
05:28Though Martha Washington made a guest appearance on the $1 silver certificate,
05:33designs are currently in the works to feature more women on paper currency.
05:38Already slated for completion are Harriet Tubman to be on the front of the $20 bill,
05:43and Marian Anderson and Eleanor Roosevelt on the back of the $5 bill.
05:48These changes will begin rolling out in 2020,
05:51the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment,
05:54which gave women the right to vote.
05:57We think it's about time, don't you?
06:03Thanks for watching How Money is Made.
06:05For more videos, click here, and to subscribe, click here.
Comments