The Experience
If your eyes glaze thinking about monetary policy and regulatory systems, “Money in Motion” makes it all clear. Interactive exhibits, videos and displays show how money works, explaining everything from how coins and dollar bills are made, to how interest rates are set, to the security measures that protect your cash.
A giant ticker keeps a running tab of the Fed’s electronic transfers — usually in the neighborhood of $3 trillion daily. Trade in your old quarters for one of the new State quarter series. Get the scoop on how to pick out real bills from counterfeit or “Match Wits with Ben,” a speed-based game all about money. The tower of money, $100 million in shredded bills, is enough to make one weep.
History
The nation’s centralized banking system is relatively new. During our nation’s earliest days, each state printed its own currency and had its own monetary system. Even banks printed their own individual currency. It wasn’t until 1913 that Woodrow Wilson instituted the Federal Reserve Bank as we know it today.