1 January 2002: Euro notes and coins hit the tills
Twelve countries swapped their guilders, marks, francs and lire for euro cash on New Year's Day, the largest currency changeover in history. The euro had existed on screens since 1999, but now it was in wallets, vending machines and cafe price lists. Many shoppers grumbled that prices had been quietly rounded up in the switch, a suspicion that lingered for years. A currency is ultimately a habit, and habits take time to change.
The lesson: Money is a social agreement; what feels permanent in your wallet can be redesigned by politicians overnight.
Could you have called it at the time? The wheel picks the year, you pick the position, ten seconds a pick.
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