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From: henry@utzoo.UUCP (Henry Spencer)
Newsgroups: comp.std.internat,sci.lang
Subject: Re: Computers and human languages (was Re: What is a byte)
Message-ID: <8461@utzoo.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 22-Aug-87 22:35:26 EDT
Article-I.D.: utzoo.8461
Posted: Sat Aug 22 22:35:26 1987
Date-Received: Sat, 22-Aug-87 22:35:26 EDT
References: <218@astra.necisa.oz>
Organization: U of Toronto Zoology
Lines: 10

> P.S.: About extra letters: is the "$"-sign really the writing in one space
> of "U" and "S"? So: "U.S. dollar" --> "$ dollar"

Close.  What I have been told is that the dollar sign is a scrunched form
of PS, with the loop of the P getting lost in the shuffle.  Why PS?  Because
the US took a long time to get its act together on a national currency, and
the Mexican peso saw considerable use meanwhile.
-- 
Apollo was the doorway to the stars. |  Henry Spencer @ U of Toronto Zoology
Next time, we should open it.        | {allegra,ihnp4,decvax,utai}!utzoo!henry