I WAS A BILLIONNAIRE ONCE! (And so was everyone else.)

Numbers is the theme today, and the astonishing denomination of this note - five hundred billion dinars - bears witness to the economic chaos that can follow political upheaval. After the collapse of Yugoslavia in 1991-92, the newly-independent republics began issuing their own notes. Inflation and spiraling prices forced the government to issue notes for unimaginable sums. People find this hard to believe, but at that time if one was lucky enough to have foreign currency to change, one did so JUST for the amount needed right then and there, since a few hours later the dinars' value had gone down. No kidding. If you visit Belgrade, you can buy one of these big bills for around 100 dinars (now about $2.00), or buy it online for around $22.95. None of the currency featured is in use anymore, except the coins. By the way, the man on the bill is Jovan Jovanovic Zmaj (YO-vahn Yo-VAHN-oh-veetch Zm-eye) 1833-1904, known as the father of Serbian children's literature.