Why do Americans refer to their money as bucks? The European colonial settlers ran into problems whenever they attempted to trade with the Native Americans as the latter were unwilling to accept bank notes and coins. Tobacco or wampum was sometimes used as a medium of exchange, but gradually deerskins or buckskins became the common medium of exchange (or money). Hence, to this day, Americans refer to their money as ‘bucks’!
Michael Aldous and I had our book The CEO: The Rise and Fall of Britain's Captains of Industry published a few weeks ago. You can find out more about it and buy it at Cambridge University Press's website . It is also available at Amazon , Waterstones , and Barnes & Noble . The CEO has already been reviewed in The Sunday Times , The Observer and Financial Times .