Why the US dollar is green? Or red is the international STOP color? Or raising white flag means surrender?
Some colors become huge successes early on and then fade off into obscurity… while other colors go the distance and become international icons. Here we look at the great color legends… Stop Sign Red, Horny Green M&Ms, Black Death, Blue Sky…
Why is Red the International Color for Stop?
Stop signs originated in Detroit, Michigan in 1915. The first had black letters on a white background and were somewhat smaller than the modern one. In 1924, the sign changed to black on yellow. In 1954 the US Federal Highway Administration (FHA) published the The Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD). It was in this manual that the stop sign was standardized as red with white type.
The color-coding for stop goes a bit further back. Red became a color connected with stop when the first primitive railroad signaling devices were developed in the 1830s and 1840s. Initially red meant, „stop,” green meant „caution,” and clear (i.e., white) meant „go.” They later figured out that Go as a white lead was problematic when confused with other lights.
Why is the US Dollar Green?
The dollar (often represented by the dollar sign: „$”) is the name of the official currency in several countries, dependencies and other regions. In this instance we are referring to the US Dollar.
The first general circulation of paper money by the federal government occurred in 1861. Pressed to finance the Civil War, Congress authorized the U.S. Treasury to issue non-interest-bearing Demand Notes. These notes acquired the nickname „greenback” because of their color. When the small currency notes in use today were first introduced in 1929, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP) continued using green ink. There were three reasons for this decision. First, pigment of that color was readily available in large quantity. Second, the color was high in its resistance to chemical and physical changes. Finally, the public psychologically identified the color green with the strong and stable credit of the Government. There is no definite reason green was chosen originally for our currency notes.
Not All Green Anymore…
The most noticeable difference in the new designs is the introduction of subtle background colors, which makes it more burdensome for potential counterfeiters because it adds complexity to the note. The addition of color also makes it easier to distinguish between denominations because different background colors are used for each denomination.
„Despite the addition of color, the redesigned notes preserve the distinct size, look and feel of traditional American currency – the world’s most familiar and circulated currency.”