The UK’s non-decimal system was virtually unique, so abandoning it in favour of the type of currency prevalent in Europe and the rest of the world was a dramatic change.

The U.S. established decimal coinage in 1792. The U.K. had been discussing a move to a decimal currency since at least 1824, but the project gained steam in the 1960s.

Though Jefferson’s support for decimal currency carried a lot of weight, he was not the first to suggest it. In 1782 Robert Morris, the US Superintendent of Finance, said much the same thing in ...

The U.S. established decimal coinage in 1792. The U.K. had been discussing a move to a decimal currency since at least 1824, but the project gained steam in the 1960s.