In French and German usage, one milliard equals 
.
American usage does not have a number called the milliard, instead using the term billion to denote 
. British usage, while formerly
using "milliard," has in recent years adopted the American convention (Mish
2003, p. 852). This constitutes a fortunate development for standardization
of terminology, albeit a somewhat regrettable development from the point of view
that the (former) British convention for representing large
numbers is simpler and more logical than the American one.
A terrible mathematical joke asks "What American President, with cities in California and Utah named after him, is associated in France and Germany with 
?" Answer: Milliard Fillmore (J. vos Post, pers.
comm., Apr. 27, 2006).
