So today I was sitting around after lunch scrolling through random stuff online, kinda bored, you know? Then this question just popped into my head outta nowhere: “Which presidents are actually on all those dollar bills I’ve got stuffed in my wallet?” Like, I use cash all the time, buy coffee, tip the barista, stuff like that. But honestly? I couldn’t name more than maybe two presidents on the bills off the top of my head. Washington? Yeah, obviously on the one. Lincoln? Pretty sure on the five… maybe?
Felt kinda dumb for a second. So, I grabbed my wallet. Right there on my messy desk. Pulled out all the bills I had. Single dollar, five bucks, a tenner, a twenty, and thankfully, one lonely fifty tucked in the back. Started laying them out flat, squinting at the portraits. “Okay,” I mumbled to myself, “let’s figure this out.”
First, the easiest one: George Washington, front and center on the one-dollar bill. No surprises there. Classic. Flipped over a five. Hello again, Abe Lincoln. Knew that one. Good. Ten dollar bill? Hmm, guy looked vaguely familiar… Hamilton? Wait, is Alexander Hamilton even a president? That felt wrong. Had to double-check. Grabbed my phone, typed real quick. Nope! Alexander Hamilton, founding father, Treasury guy, never president. Oops. My bad. Always thought he was for some reason.
Okay, moving on to the twenty. Different dude. Recognized him instantly from history books: Andrew Jackson. Got my seventh president there. Had to look up though if Jackson was still the guy for the twenty. Came across some buzz online about folks maybe wanting to swap Jackson off the bill, something about Harriet Tubman? Sounded complicated, but checked my bill date – yep, Jackson was still staring back at me.
The fifty-dollar bill was the one I rarely see. Old dude with a beard… Ulysses S Grant? Had to confirm. Yeah, Ulysses S. Grant, Civil War hero, eighteenth president. Whew.
Then I remembered the hundred. Didn’t have one on me (wish I did!), but pictured it. Benjamin Franklin! Not a president either! Just another brilliant dude (inventor, diplomat) gracing the big bill. Funny how the most common bills I handled every day had non-presidents.
This got messy quick. Needed a cheat sheet. Found a simple list online to compare against my physical bills. Summarized it real simple for myself:
- $1 Bill: George Washington (1st Prez)
- $2 Bill: Thomas Jefferson (3rd Prez) – Rarely see these!
- $5 Bill: Abraham Lincoln (16th Prez)
- $10 Bill: Alexander Hamilton (NOT Prez!)
- $20 Bill: Andrew Jackson (7th Prez)
- $50 Bill: Ulysses S. Grant (18th Prez)
- $100 Bill: Benjamin Franklin (Definitely NOT Prez!)
Sat back, looking at my little pile of cash. Felt pretty satisfied knowing exactly whose faces I was handing over next time I paid for something. Kept staring at the ten and the hundred. Hamilton and Franklin. Two non-presidents sitting right there on super common bills. Blew my mind a little. Why them? What made ’em special enough for prime real estate? Guess Hamilton built the money system itself, huh? And Franklin was just all-around awesome. Makes sense.
Then it hit me – the money itself is the history lesson. We carry these bits of history in our pockets every single day without really noticing. Pretty wild when you stop and think about it. Learned something simple but kinda cool today. Next coffee’s on me for anyone who asks who’s on the ten now!
