Do you know where the £ symbol and the the word bankruptcy are coming from?

I do not remember where I got this info, but I find it both plausible and fun

William the Orange, around 1690 invited the best bankers of the time, the Italians, to work around what is known today in London as “Bank” (with the Bank tube station).

The bankers brought two things Italian things with them that are still in use today in the UK

  1. The £ sign, which is the same as the Lira, used from the Roman time until the Euro
  2. The work bankruptcy which comes from “Banco Rotto” which means broken bench as in the early days of banking, bankers would work on benches in the open and having your bench broken meant you were bankrupt.
comments powered by Disqus