About Face: The U.S. Currency Portrait Quiz

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Most bank notes and coins made in the U.S. feature famous people from American history. But we often use these bills without registering whose faces are actually on the notes. Can you guess without opening your wallet?

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QUESTION 1 OF 10

The biggest bill ever circulated by the U.S. government was the $10,000 bill. Whose portrait graced this hefty note?

Salmon P. Chase

If you stumble into the job of treasury secretary, maybe one day you'll end up on the $10,000 bill. That's what happened with Salmon P. Chase, a famous politician who was also a chief justice, governor and senator in the late 1800s. The note was taken out of circulation in 1969.

Chester A. Arthur

John Hancock

QUESTION 2 OF 10

Most Americans know George Washington is featured on the $1 bill. What coin is he also featured on?

the nickel

the dime

the quarter

On the quarter, Washington's gaze veers to the side. On the dollar bill, he stares menacingly into King George III's soul.

QUESTION 3 OF 10

The $20 bill features President Andrew Jackson's portrait. Jackson rose to fame during which war?

World War I

American Civil War

War of 1812

Jackson was just a child during the Revolution, but he became a hero during the War of 1812, in large part thanks to his unlikely victory at New Orleans. His portrait has been drawn on various banknotes since 1869 and is featured on today's $20 bill.

QUESTION 4 OF 10

Whose portrait is on the U.S. $2 bill?

Theodore Roosevelt

Thomas Edison

Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson was the third president of the U.S. He penned the timeless phrase "all men are created equal" and fathered children with one of his slaves, Sally Hemmings.

QUESTION 5 OF 10

The highest U.S. denomination note ever printed was _______ and featured the portrait of Woodrow Wilson.

$10,000

$1 million

$100,000

Between 1934 and 1935, the U.S. printed its biggest notes ever, the $100,000 versions featuring President Woodrow Wilson. These notes weren't meant for your trips to Walmart and never circulated to the public. Instead, they were meant to make it easier for banks to transfer large sums to and from one another.

QUESTION 6 OF 10

Along with George Washington, which of these presidents is featured on both a note and a coin?

Franklin D. Roosevelt

Abraham Lincoln

Lincoln is featured on both the $5 bill and the penny. Roosevelt is on the dime, and Kennedy on the 50 cent piece.

John F. Kennedy

QUESTION 7 OF 10

True or false: Disgraced President Richard Nixon has never been featured on U.S. currency.

true

false

Watergate, what's that? In 2016, the U.S. Treasury put Richard Nixon, the only president to resign from office, on the $1 coin.

QUESTION 8 OF 10

"Benjamins" is slang for which denomination?

$10

$50

$100

Like the Puff Daddy song says, "It's All About the Benjamins," and that's because Benjamin Franklin's face is all over this denomination.

QUESTION 9 OF 10

During the Civil War, the Confederacy printed its own currency. Which of the following men was NOT portrayed on the South's banknotes?

George Washington

John Brown

John Brown was a famous abolitionist, and thus, an unlikely candidate for Confederacy money. But the South widely spread the images of its president, Jefferson Davis, and appropriated the likenesses of Washington and Andrew Jackson, too.

Jefferson Davis

QUESTION 10 OF 10

In 2016, the then-secretary of the treasury announced that Underground Railroad conductor Harriet Tubman would be the new face of the $20 bill, replacing Andrew Jackson. But Jackson was not the original target of replacement. Who was it?

Benjamin Franklin on the $100 bill

Alexander Hamilton on the $10 bill

Alexander Hamilton was originally on the chopping block as the $10 note was the first up for redesign. But he was saved by historians and fans of the hit Broadway musical based on his life. In 2017, the Trump administration put the issue on hold, saying that Tubman's appearance on the $20 bill may not materialize after all, meaning that Andrew Jackson (a former slaveholder) would keep his place on the denomination.

Ulysses Grant on the $50 bill

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About Face: The U.S. Currency Portrait Quiz

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