Why is the sign for the dollar, a word with no S's, so clearly based on the letter S? Here's the story behind it—and why it wasn't always a "dollar" sign.

Most people encounter the dollar sign on a daily basis: in stores, on websites, in the media and more. The symbol also serves as shorthand, referring to money, wealth, capitalism, commercialism ...

Despite its ubiquity, the origins of the dollar sign remain far from clear, with competing theories touching on Bohemian coins, the Pillars of Hercules and harried merchants.

This is just a comment on the cartoon in Wednesday’s newspaper. According to The Wall Street Journal (Dec. 21), the U.S. dollar is worth 0.9412 euros. However, it takes 131.70 yen to make one ...