Drunkard's Walk Forums

A bit of history:

Nine years before the Montgomery Bus Boycott, Viola Desmond refused to give up her seat in the whites-only section of a movie theatre, and was arrested for refusing to comply with segregationist laws.

In 2010, she posthumously received a free pardon for the act. (In Canada, a "free pardon" is different from a regular pardon in that it is an official acknowledgment that no wrongdoing took place.)

This week, Viola Desmond replaced Sir John A. Macdonald on the $10 bill. (For you folks in the USA, this is like replacing George Washington with Rosa Parks. Analogies don't get much more exact than this.)

Here's a photo of the new bill, held by Viola Desmond's sister:




Now for the question:

Is this the first time a regular circulation bill has been designed in portrait orientation instead of landscape orientation? (It's definitely a first in Canada.)

I won't swear either way, but I seem to recall some Asian currency having a portrait style orientation rather than a landscape, I could be wrong though.

Designed for the smartphone generation.

I do know that Australian currency is printed upside-down, because it's more convenient on that side of the world.