The Vermont Sesquicentennial half dollar is a commemorative fifty-cent piece struck by the United States Mint in 1927. Designed by Charles Keck, its obverse depicts early Vermont leader Ira Allen, brother of Ethan Allen. The reverse design of a catamount has been criticized as irrelevant to Vermont. On January 9, 1925, U.S. Senator Frank L. Greene of Vermont introduced legislation for commemorative coins to mark the 150th anniversary of Vermont independence in 1777 and of the American victory at the Battle of Bennington the same year. His bill passed the Senate without difficulty, but the House of Representatives added two more special half dollars. The Senate agreed to the changes, and President Calvin Coolidge signed the authorizing act on February 24, 1925. The coins did not sell out; over a fourth of the issue was returned for redemption and melting. Today, they can sell for hundreds of dollars, depending on condition.
Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vermont_Sesquicentennial_half_dollar
_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:
1493:
Ottoman wars in Europe: At the Battle of Krbava Field, a large Croatian army intercepted an Ottoman force returning to the Sanjak of Bosnia, but was defeated. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Krbava_Field
1739:
The Stono Rebellion, at the time the largest slave rebellion in the Thirteen Colonies of British America, erupted near Charleston, South Carolina. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stono_Rebellion
1954:
The 6.7 Mw Chlef earthquake struck Algeria, leaving at least 1,243 people dead and 5,000 injured, and forced the government to implement comprehensive reforms in building codes. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1954_Chlef_earthquake
2001:
Ahmad Shah Massoud, leader of the Northern Alliance, was assassinated in Afghanistan. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahmad_Shah_Massoud
_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:
colonelcy: (military) The rank or office of a colonel. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/colonelcy
___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:
There comes a day when, for someone who has persecuted us, we feel only indifference, a weariness at his stupidity. Then we forgive him. --Cesare Pavese https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Cesare_Pavese