The Rhode Island Tercentenary half dollar is a commemorative fifty-cent piece, struck by the United States Bureau of the Mint in 1936. The coin was designed by John Howard Benson and Arthur Graham Carey. Its obverse (pictured) depicts Roger Williams, founder of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, meeting a Native American. It was intended to honor the 300th anniversary of Providence, Rhode Island, although it bears no mention of the city. A total of 50,000 coins were struck at the three mints then in operation. On March 5, 1936, Rhode Island banks holding the coins announced that the entire issue had sold out within six hours, but ample supplies proved to be available at higher prices from insiders. Coin collectors were incensed, and the abuses led Congress to end the authorization for outstanding commemorative coin issues in 1939. Today the half dollars list for hundreds of dollars, depending on condition.
Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhode_Island_Tercentenary_half_dollar
_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:
1865:
American author Mark Twain's story "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County", his first great success as a writer, was published. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Celebrated_Jumping_Frog_of_Calaveras_County
1956:
In the Polish embassy in Moscow, Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev said "We will bury you" while addressing Western envoys, prompting them to leave the room. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/We_will_bury_you
1978:
Jim Jones led more than 900 members of the Peoples Temple to mass murder/suicide in Jonestown, Guyana, hours after some of its members assassinated U.S. Congressman Leo Ryan (pictured). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leo_Ryan
1991:
The current flag of Uzbekistan was adopted, making the country the first newly independent republic in Central Asia to choose a new flag. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Uzbekistan
_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:
marocain: A heavy crepe fabric of silk, wool, or both, having a cross-ribbed texture, used for apparel. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/marocain
___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:
I believe that all other political states are in fact variations or outgrowths of a basic state of anarchy; after all, when you mention the idea of anarchy to most people they will tell you what a bad idea it is because the biggest gang would just take over. Which is pretty much how I see contemporary society. We live in a badly developed anarchist situation in which the biggest gang has taken over and have declared that it is not an anarchist situation— that it is a capitalist or a communist situation. But I tend to think that anarchy is the most natural form of politics for a human being to actually practice.  --Alan Moore https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Alan_Moore
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