Dollar became world's reserve currency in 1944 through Bretton Woods Agreement. Nixon abandoned gold standard in 1971, dollar now backed solely by U.S. government. Dollar handles 90% of global foreign exchange transactions
A trillion is 1,000,000,000,000, or 1,000 billion in modern English. A trillion dollars would be 631 miles high in $100 bills. It would take 31,688 years to live a trillion seconds
Current flag adopted July 4, 1960 with 13 red-white stripes and 50 white stars. Bald Eagle adopted as national bird in 1782, symbolizing strength and freedom. Rose declared national flower in 1986, representing purity and innocence. Oak Tree chosen as national tree in 2004
Money slang derives from banknotes, coins, values and historical associations. Some terms vary by social, ethnic and geographic strata. "Buck" is mainstream term for dollar in many countries
GDP grew 42% during Roaring Twenties, stock market rose 20.71%. Great Depression began with 11% stock market drop in 1929. Top 1% earned 14.65% of national income during this period. Roosevelt's New Deal implemented to recover from Depression
Spanish silver dollar was adopted as national currency in 1792. Continental currency issued during Revolutionary War became worthless. Constitution included gold and silver clause prohibiting state paper money