1

George Washington: Whiskey distiller

George Washington’s retirement after his second presidency (1797) was important in itself as it set a precedent for presidents only serving two terms —although this was only a tradition and not a legal limit until the ratification of the 22nd Amendment in 1951. Despite his enormous prestige, George Washington decided to retire from public life and returned to his Mount Vernon estate , focusing on agriculture and building a whiskey distillery that would become one of the biggest in the country. He was appointed General of the Army by President Adams in 1798, but he never actively served in that position.

2

John Adams: Farmer and writer

In 1801, John Adams retired to Massachusetts, where he would spend the rest of his life managing his estate and writing his autobiography . Reconciled with his former friend and long-time rival Thomas Jefferson, they exchanged letters and writings for more than a decade. After seeing the inauguration of his son, John Quincy Adams, as the 6th American president in 1825, Adams died on July 4, 1826. Famously, his last words were "Thomas Jefferson still survives", not knowing Jefferson had passed a few hours earlier.

3

Thomas Jefferson: Founder of the University of Virginia

After leaving the White House in 1809, Thomas Jefferson went back home to Monticello, Virginia, where he devoted his time to reading, writing, and science, while corresponding with many political figures of the time. In 1815, he sold his personal book collection to Congress to help replace the books burned by the British in 1814. A firm believer in education as a pillar of society, Jefferson envisioned a university where students could pursue studies not offered in other institutions. He chose the location, campaigned for the state charter, designed the buildings and the curriculum, and served as the first rector of the University of Virginia.

4

William H. Taft: Supreme Court Justice

Upon his retirement from office in 1913, Taft considered returning to the practice of law. However, he had appointed many federal judges —a few Supreme Court Justices included— which created a conflict of interest. Instead, he decided to accept a position as a lecturer at Yale University. In 1920, after Harding was elected president, Taft was offered a position as a Supreme Court Justice, and he accepted , making him the only person to be both President and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. After his appointment, Taft focused on organizing the legal system and making it more efficient, and campaigned for the construction of the Supreme Court building.

5

Grover Cleveland: Lawyer

After losing re-election in 1889, Cleveland took a position at a law firm in New York City and mostly stayed out of politics. A year before the 1892 election, however, he wrote a public letter against President Harrison’s economic policies that quickly made him a favored candidate and won him the Democratic nomination. After winning the election and serving his second term, Cleveland went back to practicing law. He is one of only two presidents to have served two non-consecutive terms.

6

Theodore Roosevelt: Explorer

After leaving office in 1909, Roosevelt led a safari expedition in Africa, where he hunted specimens for the Smithsonian Institution. After running for president in 1912 and losing to Woodrow Wilson, Roosevelt and his son Kermit embarked on a seven-month expedition across the jungles of Brazil to explore the Amazon Rive r. During the journey, Roosevelt contracted malaria and suffered from an infected leg wound, which nearly killed him. Back in America, he devoted his time to writing about politics and science, and actively campaigned for the war effort as the U.S. joined World War I.

7

Ulysses S. Grant: Writer

A hero of the Civil War and the Reconstruction era, Grant embarked on a two-year world tour after leaving office in 1877, where he was received by leaders such as Queen Victoria, Chancellor Otto Von Bismarck, and the Japanese Emperor Meiji. Back in America, he invested all of his savings into a Wall Street firm run by his son, but lost all of his money as a consequence of a Ponzi scheme. Penniless and diagnosed with terminal cancer, Grant started writing articles for magazines in order to raise money for his family , while also penning an autobiography, which he finished on his deathbed. The book was a major success, earning his family close to $450,000 and securing their future.

8

John Quincy Adams: Congressman

After retiring from office in 1829, John Quincy Adams returned to Congress, where he had previously served as senator, but this time as a member of the House of Representatives, being the only U.S. President to do this (Andrew Jackson is the only other former president to go back to Congress, but as a senator). Across 18 years and nine terms as a congressman, he became one of the leaders of the abolitionist cause, fighting to repeal a gag rule that prevented Congress from discussing slavery, and presenting several petitions for the abolition of slavery. Working as a congressman until the end, he died in the Capitol after suffering a stroke during a passionate debate against war.

9

Dwight D. Eisenhower: Cattle rancher

As many presidents did before him, Eisenhower retired to his farm after leaving office in 1961. However, he remained involved in politics, serving as an advisor to presidents such as Kennedy, Johnson, or Nixon . Despite having resigned his military commission upon becoming president, Eisenhower had his five-star general rank reinstated by President Kennedy, being the only president —except Washington— to re-enter the armed forces after the presidency.

10

George W. Bush: Oil painter

After leaving office in 2009, George W. Bush retired to his home in Texas. There, inspired by Winston Churchill’s essay "Painting as a Pastime", he took up oil painting , focusing on portraits of close friends, pets, and world leaders he had met while in office. In 2017, he released an art book focused on portraits of U.S. veterans and their stories.

1

Blockbuster

During the 1980s and 1990s, Friday night often meant one thing for American families: a trip to Blockbuster. Browsing the aisles for a movie, debating what to watch, and grabbing popcorn at the counter became a weekly routine. But nothing lasts forever.

Born in 1985, Blockbuster conquered the massive home-video market with thousands of stores by the late 1990s and early 2000s, catering to families with at-home VCRs. Then technology changed everything. First came DVD-by-mail services like Netflix, followed by streaming, which left Blockbuster struggling. Late fees and inconvenience only pushed more customers away. The company filed for bankruptcy in 2010. Today, just one official store remains in Bend, Oregon, where visitors still stop by for a dose of the video-store era.

2

Kodak

Back in the day, almost every vacation, birthday, wedding, or holiday gathering seemed to include a Kodak camera, or at least a roll of Kodak film. Founded in 1881, Kodak helped keep the moments that filled family photo albums for generations.

From the 1960s through the 1990s, Kodak dominated the world of film and photography. But that success also made the company slow to accept that technology was changing. Ironically, Kodak helped invent one of the first digital cameras in 1975, yet it hesitated to embrace the future. By the 1990s and 2000s, digital cameras (and later camera phones) quickly replaced traditional film. In 2012, the company declared bankruptcy.

3

Pan Am

Long before flying became an everyday experience, Pan American World Airways, better known as Pan Am, was already carrying Americans across the world. It was founded in 1927, and during the 1960s and 1970s, the airline became a symbol of glamorous air travel.

Its famous blue globe logo was instantly recognizable, even to those who rarely flew. But by the late 1970s, rising competition, fuel costs, and financial troubles began weakening the company. After years of mounting losses and debt, Pan Am shut down in 1991. Even so, its fame was such that even today, more than 30 years later, we still remember it.

4

Woolworth’s

Before Woolworth's made the "five-and-dime" famous, shopping in America looked very different. For decades, Americans visited Woolworth’s for everything from toys and school supplies to household goods and everyday essentials. By the 1960s, the brand had become a familiar part of American life.

Created in 1879 by Frank Winfield Woolworth, the chain grew into one of the country’s largest retailers. But in the 1970s, malls and discount giants like Walmart changed the way Americans shopped, and Woolworth struggled to keep up. By the 1980s, the iconic chain was slowly disappearing. Most stores closed during the 1990s, and the Woolworth retail chain officially ended in 1997.

5

Circuit City

Testing giant stereo systems, browsing rows of CDs and video games, and shopping for the newest TV were all part of the experience at Circuit City, once one of America’s biggest electronics chains.

Founded in 1949 by Samuel S. Wurtzel in Richmond, Virginia, as "Wards Company," the retailer adopted the Circuit City name in 1984. During the 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s, it became the go-to place for Americans buying a TV, stereo, computer, or any electronic device. But like many companies on this list, Circuit City struggled as shopping habits changed and online stores became more convenient. A controversial 2007 decision to lay off thousands of experienced employees further hurt the company’s reputation. Circuit City couldn’t survive mounting losses and closed all remaining stores in 2009.

6

Borders

Remember Borders? Born in 1971, its huge stores, filled with books, music, magazines, and cozy reading spaces, invited customers to spend entire afternoons there.

During the 1990s and early 2000s, the rise of large shopping malls actually helped Borders thrive, turning its bookstores into popular destinations inside malls across the US. But eventually, the company ran into a challenge it couldn’t overcome: online shopping and digital reading. Competitors like Amazon surged ahead, while Borders struggled to adapt and made costly business decisions, including outsourcing its online sales to Amazon for years. The company collapsed financially in 2011 and soon closed all remaining stores.

7

Bugle Boy

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, teenage fashion became almost synonymous with Bugle Boy. Famous across the country for its casual jeans and memorable TV commercials, the brand became a major part of American mall culture and was sold in department stores nationwide.

But fashion never stands still, and brands have to constantly adapt to survive. By the late 1990s, newer youth-oriented labels had taken over with fresh styles that quickly made Bugle Boy seem outdated. Sales began to fall, and after years of struggling to keep up with changing trends, the company closed its stores in 2001.

8

Howard Johnson’s restaurants

During the 1960s and 1970s, a stop at Howard Johnson's was part of the classic American road-trip experience for many families, and that was no accident.

Founded in 1925 in Quincy, Massachusetts, the famous orange-roofed chain reached its peak when America’s expanding highways and booming car culture made roadside travel more popular than ever. But by the late 1970s and early 1980s, the growing popularity of fast-food chains like McDonald's began changing the way Americans ate on the road. Drivers increasingly wanted meals that were faster, cheaper, and more standardized, while interstate highways also redirected traffic away from many older roadside locations. Unlike some other brands on this list, Howard Johnson’s faded away slowly over the decades. The last restaurant finally closed in 2022.

9

Burger Chef

In 1958, a name emerged as one of the pioneers of America’s growing fast-food industry: Burger Chef. By the late 1960s, the chain had more than 1,000 locations across the country and had become one of McDonald's’s biggest competitors.

Long before Happy Meals became famous, Burger Chef helped popularize the idea of marketing meals directly to children with toys and themed publicity. But during the fast-food wars of the 1970s, competition became fiercer than ever. While McDonald’s and Burger King expanded by leaps and bounds, Burger Chef struggled with financial problems and changing consumer tastes. In 1982, the company was sold to Hardee's, which gradually converted most Burger Chef locations into Hardee’s restaurants.

10

Sports Authority

Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, many Americans looking for running shoes, gym shorts, and sports gear headed straight to Sports Authority.

Known for its huge stores packed with athletic apparel, exercise equipment, bicycles, camping gear, and team sports products, Sports Authority became the ideal shopping destination for families and athletes across the US. But as online shopping rapidly changed retail in the 2000s, the company struggled to adapt. Heavy debt from expansion efforts and a slow shift to e-commerce eventually caught up with the chain. Sports Authority declared bankruptcy in 2016 and closed all remaining stores later that year.

1

What are bills made of?

Unlike other currencies, dollar bills are not made of paper or plastic. U.S. dollar bills are made from a special fabric blend composed of 75% cotton and 25% linen. This mix makes the bills extremely durable and resistant, and they can be folded about 4000 times before tearing.

2

What bills are valid?

Any U.S. dollar bill that was legally printed is valid, no matter how old, as American currency does not have an expiration date. While some bills might not be accepted by businesses of foreign exchange services due to their condition or if they are a discontinued version of the bill, the bills themselves are still valid, and American banks will accept them, though they might take them out of circulation.

3

American leaders

Five bills have a depiction of an American president. The exceptions are the $10 bill, with Alexander Hamilton on the front, and the $100 bill, with Benjamin Franklin. The $1 bill, depicting George Washington, is extremely symbolic: several elements are repeated 13 times as a nod to the thirteen colonies, and it showcases the Bald Eagle and the Eye of Providence as a sign of God watching over America.

4

A change in size

Did you know that dollar bills used to be so big that they were nicknamed "horse blankets"? Original dollar bills were 7.4 × 3.1 inches. In 1929, the Treasury Department reduced the size of bills to 6.14 × 2.61 inches to reduce production costs and materials. Old bills, though still valid, are worth much more as collector items.

5

Uniformity

Besides their value and design, all dollar bills have the same size (6.14 × 2.61 inches), color, and weight (1 gram) , which sets American currency apart from other countries where bills of different values are differentiated by size, color, or both. Why doesn’t the U.S. implement differences among bills? The cost of adapting vending machines, bank drawers, and ATMs to new bill sizes would cost billions of dollars.

6

Hard to copy

Originally, dollars were not green, but black. As time passed, green ink was favored, as it was cheap and did not fade as much as black. The new color also prevented people from using black-and-white cameras to create counterfeit money. Currently, dollar bills are predominantly green, but newer versions also include extra colors, such as pink, orange, or purple.

7

A $100,000 bill?

Have you ever seen a $500 or 1,000 dollar bill? What about a $100,000? Up until 1945, the U.S. Treasury printed $500, $1,000, $5,000, $10,000, and $100,000 notes , in addition to the values currently in use. These higher-value notes were mainly intended for bank and government use, but were sought by criminals as they made it easier to hide large amounts of money. Even though they were officially discontinued in 1969, these notes are still valid, though rare, and they have a high worth as collector's items.

8

No numbers

Unlike bills, American coins have different sizes and colors related to their value. Originally, gold, silver, and copper were used for coins, but modern coins are made of copper, zinc, or nickel. Besides their size and design, the value of each coin is printed in letters, not in numbers , alongside depictions of American presidents.

9

Liberty for all (the coins)

By law, all American coins must include six specific details : the word ‘Liberty’, the name of our country, the national motto "In God We Trust", the oldest American motto "E Pluribus Unum", the value of the coin, and the year. Each coin also includes a mint mark that shows where it was made: "P" for Philadelphia, "D" for Denver, "S" for San Francisco, and "W" for West Point.

10

A global currency

The American dollar is one of the most powerful currencies in the world, acting as a backbone for international trade and finances. It is estimated that two-thirds of the physical dollars in circulation are outside American territory. Besides the U.S. and its territories, eight sovereign nations have the U.S. dollar as their official currency, with several more accepting it as legal tender.