The UK is well known for choosing to keep the pound sterling when many other European countries started using the Euro. Euros are colourful banknotes with silver stars and the European flag on them, while pound notes still show the face of Queen Elizabeth II. Something interesting about British money is that there are also faces on the back of the note. Did you know that the picture changes every few years to show a different famous person from British history?
At the moment, we can find the face of Charles Darwin on the £10 note. He was a scientist, famous for his theories about evolution. Until 2003, Charles Dickens was on the banknote. He is one of the country’s favourite authors, with novels like ‘Oliver Twist’ and ‘David Copperfield’ voted as some of Britain’s best works of literature. Recently, it was announced that Jane Austen would replace Darwin on the £10 note. She is one of my favourite authors, remembered for books like ‘Pride and Prejudice’ and ‘Sense and Sensibility’. People think that it was a very good choice to put Jane Austen on a banknote because most of the people on our money are men.
Other writers that have appeared on British pound notes are the world famous playwright William Shakespeare and the economist Adam Smith. However, other people such as inventors and social reformers have also been on banknotes. Soon, the former Prime Minister William Churchill will be on all the £5 notes in the country. By putting their faces on banknotes, the UK shows that it is very proud of all these historical figures, just as it is proud of the pound sterling!
What does your money look like? Who are the most famous people in your country's history?
