Mental Floss

MONEY











Caroline Schermerhorn Astor ruled New York City in the Gilded Age.

For more than a century, the Astors were the richest family in America, and their shrewd marriages linked them to some of the most politically powerful families.

Samantha Arrowsmith














A Russian beard tax token.

History is full of kings and governments who have tried to earn money by taxing anything from beards to bachelors.

Tony Dunnell