Read history
Read when, where and how money changed, through the stories of countries and eras, crises, and people.
What you can read here
Money history: the world and JapanThe history of the whole world, of each country and of one family, in short narrated scenes with pictures. Chapter 1 of every country is free.Bubbles, frauds and financial crisesBubbles, frauds and financial crises, read from what actually happened.People who changed moneyFilms and narration on the lives of the people on the coins.Readings on money and historyNewton hunting counterfeiters, silver coins crossing the ocean. The history of money, one topic at a time.Books to read in depthBooks rich in figures and photographs, for reading one subject in depth.
Short reads
One topic, in a few minutes.
Crises
Deposit Freeze and New Yen Switchover 1946Global Financial Crisis 2007–09Japan's Asset Bubble of the 1980sJohn Law and the Mississippi SystemKipper und Wipper 1619–23The Madoff affair
Readings
The Day a Creditor Nation Became a DebtorOne hundred million guldens. That number, written on the treaty paper, summed up in a single line the fall of a nation that had once lent money to the courts of Europe.Gulden, the Name of a Coin That Was Once an AdjectiveOriginally an adjective meaning 'golden,' the name Gulden detached from its metallic origin, eventually becoming a unit of account in ledgers and shaping the history of a currency.Waiting for the War to End, While Printing Counterfeit MoneyAdolf Burger, a printer forced to forge British pound notes in a Nazi concentration camp. We trace the inside of Operation Bernhard through his own testimony and the records of museums and research.Man of Equations, Man of EvidenceIsaac Newton, the discoverer of universal gravitation, was also an official at the Mint. The same man who calculated the motions of celestial bodies disguised himself, slipped into taverns, and sought evidence to corner counterfeiters.The Coinage Act as a StandardEven after the United States was born, the silver coins of other countries continued to be legal tender. A law that has the power to define and change a country's monetary system is a coinage act.The Men Who Seized Taxes Instead of Minting CoinsIn 939, Taira no Masakado burned the provincial capital of Hitachi and seized its official seals. This amounted to seizing control over the province's tax administration. Even this man, who declared a new state, shows no evidence of having minted his own coins.
In depth
One subject, step by step.
Courses
Grasping the History of Money at a GlanceFrom before the birth of coins to banks and digital payments. We will survey the changes in money through the ages.Where Did Money Come From?Tracing the origins of money, from ancient ledgers and metal paid by weight to stamped coins.Tracing the Era of the Gold StandardHow did money tied to gold change trade and banking? We will trace the developments in various countries during the 19th century.The History of Money in Japan — Rice, Coins, SilverPayments in rice and cloth, coins from across the sea, koban and silver. We will trace the history of money in Japan up to the early modern period.Comparing the Origins of MoneyWe will compare early coinage from Lydia, China, and India, which differed in shape and method of production.What Did Rulers and States Communicate Through Coins?We will compare the faces of kings and national emblems to examine instances where coinage carried political messages.Shrines, Temples, Faith, and MoneyEnglish 'money', French 'monnaie', German 'Münze'. All derive from the name of the temple of the goddess Juno Moneta on a Roman hill.Who Paid for the Wars?We will trace the costs of war and where the burden fell by examining taxes, debt, paper money, and reparations.The Unification of a Country and MoneyWhen a country unifies, what happens to its disparate currencies? We will compare the processes of standardization.History of Counterfeit Coins and BanknotesThere was a man who published pamphlets advocating for mint reform, while secretly continuing to make counterfeit coins.History of Banks and CreditTransacting with strangers and paying over long distances. At such times, someone verifies the other party and underwrites the risk of non-payment.Money Used Across BordersAthenian owl tetradrachms, 8-reales, dollars. We will compare the conditions that allowed currencies to be accepted abroad.Money That Is No Longer UsedThere are four patterns for when a currency ceases to serve its role.The History of Jewish Life and FinanceWe will consider the relationship with finance and its narratives, drawing from records of occupational constraints, commerce, tax collection, and lending.The Origins of Money in Lydia, China, and IndiaWe will compare the early coinage of the three regions to consider their commonalities and the extent to which they can be said to have been invented independently.The People Who Unified Nations and Changed MoneyWe trace the stories of Alexander, Qin Shi Huang, Charlemagne, and the Meiji Reforms through the unification of their currencies.Why did rulers' faces appear on coins?We examine the relationship between currency and power through the portraits of kings, emperors, and republican leaders.Monetary Reforms of the Roman EmpireFrom Nero to Diocletian. We trace how the emperors changed the composition and system of money.Coins that depict faces, coins that speak with textWe compare Byzantine and Islamic coinage and consider the relationship between design and faith.Silver Coins that Crossed the WorldPotosí, Manila, China, Japan. We will trace the paths where silver was mined, transported, and used.The People Who Changed Edo's MoneyLowering and restoring the gold and silver content. We will examine the decisions and debates surrounding recoinage during the Edo period.Those Who Made Counterfeit Money, and Those Who Pursued ThemWe trace the history of the forgery and investigation from the records of Chaloner, Newton, and others.The People Who Linked and Severed Gold and Paper MoneyNewton, Ricardo, Nixon. We examine the decisions surrounding the gold standard through the people and the times.When the Credit of Paper Money CollapsedWhat happened before paper money fell out of use? We will examine the decisions of those who tried to support the system.Queens on CoinsCleopatra, Elizabeth, Maria Theresa. We will look at their respective eras through their portraits and monetary policies.Is It Really True? Checking HistoryWe re-examine the origins of money and famous anecdotes, comparing them with historical records and actual artifacts.Discovering Historical Questions Through ComparisonLearn the method of comparing the same coins or systems with those of other countries and eras to investigate the reasons for their differences.Money, Read Through EventsBubbles, fraud, and financial crises. We will trace how money was accumulated, moved, and lost through cases that really happened.Money as Depicted in LiteratureWe will examine life in past eras by reading about payments, poverty, and wealth as they appear in the works of Homer and in Japanese classics.Dollar, Yen, Bank—The Origin of WordsWe will trace the path by which the names of weights, places, and tools became words for money.Disasters, Epidemics, and MoneyDuring famines and earthquakes, how did prices and payments change? We will consider this based on Japanese records.
Books
Grasping the History of Money at a GlanceWhere Did Money Come From?Tracing the Era of the Gold StandardThe History of Money in Japan — Rice, Coins, SilverComparing the Origins of MoneyHistory of Banks and CreditSilver Coins that Crossed the WorldThe People Who Linked and Severed Gold and Paper MoneyIs It Really True? Checking HistoryReading Articles and LedgersMoney, Read Through Events
Price
After purchase, the full courses, the illustrated books, every country’s story and the numismatics examination are open to you.
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