What are anachronisms? Merriam-Webster Unabridged Online Dictionary defines anachronism as: “a person or a thing that is chronologically out of place especially : one from a former age that is incongruous in the present.”
Anachronisms tend to occur primarily in historical fiction. It happens for various reasons, one of which is the writer failed to do the proper research needed.
Let’s look at an example using the $100 bill.
Does your story takes place in 1861 and you state someone handed you a $100 bill? Then you’ve created an anachronism (also an error in fact). The $100 bill was first issued in 1862.
What if your story takes place in 2024 and you state someone hands you a $500 bill to pay for their groceries? You’ve created an anachronism. All denominations larger than $100 were retired in 1969. While it is entirely possible someone might still have one of these bills, it would be worth far more than $500, and he/she wouldn’t pull it out of a wallet to pay for the groceries.
Read this post to learn areas of your writing that often fall prey to anachronisms.