Money makes the world go round! Despite all that talk about love, friendship, forgiveness and generosity; still people give importance to money and living without it is near impossible! Even those who talk about charity; need money to make that happen! But money was not always been that green paper or that golden coin. It has been many things. However, whatever shape and form it has taken; it has always had its important place in history!

Here are some amazing, interesting and even strange facts about money!

Fact 1:
Did you know that money did not always take the form of currency? The oldest form of money was in the form of sheep, goats, cattle and camels. Well, they were the most-valued possessions at that time! The more the cattle, the richer you were. And the person with the most cattle was called the “caput” or head. Now we know where the term “capital” comes from.

 Fact 2:
So how did ‘money’ get its name? Well, that can be credited to the Romans, who minted their coins in the temple of Juno Moneta, the goddess of marriage and women. The words mint and money are derived from “Moneta”. That could also, in a way, explain why women and marriages are such costly affairs!

 Fact 3:
The credit for Romans does not end there; they are also the pioneers in printing the image of people on coins! Julius Caesar had his portrait featured in coins after a victory in war. And people, all over the world, have followed suit. Abraham Lincoln has the honour of being the first American to be pictured in US coins.

 Fact 4:
The words “In God We Trust” was made a part of the US paper bills only in 1963; however, it was engraved in coins almost a century before that! A two-cent coin was the first to be engraved with these words and it was minted sometime between 1864 and 1873.

Fact5:
We all know that currencies were initially made from metals and then it graduated to paper. But ever heard of plastic money? Well, if you are in Australia, that’s what you could be using! The Australian dollar of 5 and 100 denominations are made from plastic. And yes, there is no “typo”; you read it right!

Fact6:
If you are wondering what “piggy banks” and “pigs” have in common; the answer is nothing! The word “pygg” was the Old English name for the clay that was used to make jars and dishes for keeping money. And that eventually evolved into piggy banks. Nonetheless, “Pig”-gy banks do make a cute container for saving money.

Fact 7:
Ever wondered why your income is termed “salary”. There was a time when Romans used salt as a form of money! And “salary” was derived from the word “sal”, which meant salt. During that time, having a lot of salt meant you could be rich; now, it could just mean you would end up with hypertension! How time changes things!!

Fact 8:
Women are not just good at spending money! One woman also had the honour of appearing on a US currency. Martha Washington was the only woman whose image was printed on a $1 silver certificate.

Fact 9:
Not everything to do with money can be credited to Romans! The Chinese were the first to use paper money in the 9^th century. They called it the “flying money” as it could easily be blown away. And like its name, it was fleetingly used. The French were the first to consistently use paper-based bills.

Fact 10:
Did you know that most of the money today is not actually backed by equivalent gold or metal? It is money because the government has declared it to be so! Probably, that explains why money is so easily devalued these days!