Historically, the British farthing was a continuation of the English
farthing, a coin struck by English monarchs prior to the Act of Union
1707 that was worth a quarter of an old penny (1⁄960 of a pound
sterling). Only pattern farthings were struck under Queen Anne. The coin
was struck intermittently through much of the 18th century, but
counterfeits became so prevalent the Royal Mint ceased striking them
after 1775. The next farthings were the first ones struck by steam
power, in 1799 by Matthew Boulton at his Soho Mint. The Royal Mint
resumed production in 1821. The farthing was struck regularly under
George IV, William IV and in most years of Queen Victoria's long
reign. The coin continued to be issued in most years of the first half
of the 20th century, and in 1937 it finally received its own design, a
wren (pictured). By the 1950s, inflation had eroded its value. It ceased
to be struck after 1956 and was demonetised in 1961.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_British_farthing>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1800:
Lord Wellesley, Governor-General of India, founded Fort William
College in Fort William, India.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_William_College>
1921:
Irish War of Independence: One day after a truce between the
Irish Republican Army and British forces was agreed, violence broke out
between Catholics and Protestants in Belfast.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloody_Sunday_%281921%29>
1940:
Second World War: The Battle of Britain, in which the Royal Air
Force defended the UK from attacks by the German Luftwaffe, began.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Britain>
1973:
John Paul Getty III, grandson of American oil magnate J. Paul
Getty, was kidnapped in Rome.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Paul_Getty_III>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
gorge:
1. (intransitive, reflexive) Often followed by on: To stuff the gorge or
gullet with food; to eat greedily and in large quantities.
2. (transitive) To swallow, especially with greediness, or in large
mouthfuls or quantities.
3. (transitive) To fill up to the throat; to glut, to satiate.
4. (transitive) To fill up (an organ, a vein, etc.); to block up or
obstruct; (US, specifically) of ice: to choke or fill a channel or
passage, causing an obstruction.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/gorge>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
It's the rich and powerful, by and large, who glamorize
immorality, but it's the poor and vulnerable who pay the price.
--Robert P. George
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Robert_P._George>