The US dollar’s ‘immigrant’ origins
About this episode
This episode explores the origins of the US dollar and its historical evolution with insights from Brendan Greeley.
Today, when you think of a dollar, the US dollar probably comes to mind first. But that hasn’t always been the case. In this episode of The Story of Money, Brendan Greeley, the author of The Almighty Dollar: 500 Years of the World's Most Powerful Money, explains the origins of the world’s first dollar, the Joachimstaler, and the hapless Bohemian count who played a role in its creation. Greeley, and hosts Gillian Tett and Robin Wigglesworth discuss the dollar’s evolution, and whether it may even outlive the current US dollar system. Further reading: The Almighty Dollar: 500 Years of the World's Most Powerful Money , by Brendan Greeley (2026) Credits: Getty Images, Brendan Greeley To enjoy future episodes, be sure to subscribe to The Story of Money wherever you get your podcasts, also on the show's dedicated YouTube channel here : https://www.youtube.com/@FTTheStoryOfMoney Hosts: Gillian Tett and Robin Wigglesworth Producer: Lulu Smyth Senior Producers: Michela Tindera and Laurence Knight Executive Producer: Manuela Saragosa Original music and sound design: Breen Turner Broadcast engineers: Bianca Wakeman and Petros Giuompasis Podcast…
More episodes of The Story of Money
- The financial crash that created Britain’s first prime minister
- South Sea Bubble: the shoemaker’s son who sparked Britain’s first financial crisis
- The 1980s Garfield buyout that changed corporate finance
- The financial scams that brought Albania to the brink of war
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the The Story of Money podcast page.