Harriet Tubman, the slavery abolitionist, has become the first African-American to be featured on the face of U.S. paper currency when she replaces 7th President Andrew Jackson on the $20 bill.
This was announced by the U.S. Treasury Department on Wednesday.
She will also be the first woman on U.S. paper currency in more than a century!
Harriet Tubman was born a slave and helped hundreds of slaves escape using the network of safe-houses known as the Underground Railroad.
The women last depicted on U.S. bills were first lady Martha Washington on the $1 silver certificate from 1891 to 1896, and Native American Pocahontas in a group photo on the $20 bill from 1865 to 1869.
Harriet Tubman became the top-trending hashtag on Twitter shortly after the news broke out, with more than 100,000 tweets and mentions online.
Presidential candidates Hilary Clinton & Bernie Sanders also tweeted their congratulations.
The honour comes at a time more than 50 per cent of Americans do not use currency to pay. The payment of choice is the credit or debit card.
The final design for the new Harriet Tubman bills are scheduled to be unveiled in 2020.
Leave a Reply