Money.

Byline: KATE SULLIVAN

Oscar Wilde said, "When I was young, I thought that money was the most important thing in life; now that I am old, I know that it is." We'd like to think he was wrongespecially considering that Wilde was broke on his deathbed. Still, it's fascinating to see how money has made the world go round.

42 B.C.: Year Mark Antony met Cleopatra, whose incredible wealth would pay for his vast armies.

1898: Year The New York Times reported that female postal workers in the money-order department were not allowed to handle money directly.

10: Estimated number of 1933 Double Eagle coins (valued at $20 at the time) that were not melted down for gold by the U.S. Mint during the Depression.

$7.6 million: Amount paid for a Double Eagle coin at a 2002 auction.

$10,000: Amount Richard Nixon won playing poker against fellow Navy sailors in 1943money he later used to fund his first congressional bid in 1946.