-Karthik Gurumurthy
Ever wondered how they pick those faces on your dollar bills? It’s actually pretty interesting!
Basically, since 1962, it’s the Secretary of the Treasury who gets the final say on whose mug ends up on our cash. Of course, they don’t just decide on a whim – they usually chat with other Treasury folks, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing director, and sometimes even the President before making the call.
The portraits we see today mostly come from decisions made by a special committee set up in 1925 by Treasury Secretary Andrew Mellon. In 1928, they recommended putting Presidents on bills because they figured everyone would recognize them. Mellon was like, “Well, actually…” and pointed out that Alexander Hamilton and Benjamin Franklin were famous enough too, even though they weren’t presidents.
There are some funny stories about these decisions. Like in 1928, the committee suggested putting James Garfield on the $2 bill because he was a “martyred President” and they thought his flowing beard would look cool next to Washington’s clean-shaven face. But Mellon shut that down and went with Jefferson instead.
American money has had all sorts of images over the years. Dollar bills from 1861-1864 showed Secretary Salmon P. Chase, silver certificates in 1886 featured Martha Washington, and in 1896 they printed an educational series with the Washington Monument and names of great Americans in wreaths.
The weirdest part? Nobody really knows exactly why certain important people made the cut while others didn’t. The Bureau of Engraving and Printing straight-up admits their records don’t explain why some bigwigs got picked over others who were equally important. It’s like historical celebrity casting! Alex Trebek might ask this question in Jeopardy..Be prepared-:)
Everything you want to know about science but afraid to ask 
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