The Maryland Tercentenary half dollar was a commemorative fifty-cent
piece issued by the United States Bureau of the Mint in 1934. It depicts
Cecil Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore, on the obverse (pictured) and the
coat of arms of Maryland on the reverse. The Maryland Tercentenary
Commission sought a coin in honor of the 300th anniversary of the
arrival of English settlers in Maryland. The state's senators introduced
legislation, and it passed both houses of Congress with no opposition. A
design had already been prepared by Professor Hans Schuler; it passed
review by the Commission of Fine Arts, though there was controversy over
whether Lord Baltimore, a Cavalier and Catholic, would have worn a
collar typical of Puritans. The Commission sold about 15,000 of the full
issue of 25,000 for $1 each, and thereafter discounted the price for
large sales to dealers and speculators. The coins have increased in
value over time, and are now valued in the low hundreds of dollars.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maryland_Tercentenary_half_dollar>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1769:
Having been soundly defeated in battle, the Qing dynasty agreed
to terms of truce, ending the Sino-Burmese War.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sino-Burmese_War_%281765%E2%80%931769%29>
1920:
The 8th Congress of Soviets approved the GOELRO plan, the first
Soviet plan for national economic recovery and development.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GOELRO_plan>
1939:
Members of the All-India Muslim League observed a "Day of
Deliverance" to celebrate the resignations of members of the Indian
National Congress over the decision to enter the Second World War at the
request of the United Kingdom.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Day_of_Deliverance_%28India%29>
2001:
Richard Reid unsuccessfully attempted to detonate a bomb in his
shoe on a transatlantic flight from Paris to Miami, Florida.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Reid>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
lotologist:
A person who collects lottery tickets.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/lotologist>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
I write for one and only one purpose, to overcome the invincible
ignorance of the traduced heart. My poems are acts of force and violence
directed against the evil which murders us all.
--Kenneth Rexroth
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Kenneth_Rexroth>