💁🏻‍♀️ TIL: Long before flying his kite, #BenjaminFranklin was experimenting with materials to stop counterfeiters from faking #colonial paper #money. 💵

Centuries later, scientists at #NotreDame used advanced microscopes to analyze hundreds of surviving bills and found Franklin was using graphite-based ink instead of common soot ink, and embedding tiny mica particles into the #paper that shimmered when tilted. He even printed leaf vein patterns as unique anti-counterfeiting marks. 🔎

👉 https://theconversation.com/we-analyzed-paper-money-printed-by-ben-franklin-to-uncover-his-anti-counterfeiting-techniques-and-materials-innovations-282943

#counterfeit #history #printing #pennsylvania #philadelphia #science #engineering #invention #currency