The Wisconsin Territorial Centennial half dollar was designed by David Parsons and Benjamin Hawkins and minted by the United States Bureau of the Mint in 1936. The obverse (pictured) depicts a pick axe and lead ore, referring to the lead mining in early Wisconsin; the reverse depicts a badger and the territorial seal. Organizers of the territorial centennial celebration sought a commemorative half dollar as a fundraiser; newly issued United States commemorative coins at this time found a ready market from collectors and speculators. Accordingly, legislation was introduced by Senator Robert M. La Follette Jr., which passed Congress without opposition. When initial designs by Parsons were rejected by the Commission of Fine Arts, Hawkins was hired. He executed the designs, though Parsons was also given credit. A total of 25,000 pieces were coined for public sale in July 1936. Sales were weak and the coins were vended by the Wisconsin Historical Society until the late 1950s. The coins catalog for up to $250.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wisconsin_Territorial_Centennial_half_dollar

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1943:

A fissure opened in a cornfield in the Mexican state of Michoacán and continued to erupt for nine years, forming the cinder cone Parícutin (pictured). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Par%C3%ADcutin

1988:

The Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast voted to secede from Azerbaijan and join Armenia, triggering the First Nagorno-Karabakh War. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Nagorno-Karabakh_War

1992:

Appearing on the talk show Larry King Live, U.S. industrialist Ross Perot announced that he would begin a presidential campaign if "ordinary people" wanted him to run for office. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ross_Perot_1992_presidential_campaign

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

bubbe: 1. A grandmother. 2. An elderly woman. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/bubbe

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

Slaves sing most when they are most unhappy. The songs of the slave represent the sorrows of his heart; and he is relieved by them, only as an aching heart is relieved by its tears. At least, such is my experience. I have often sung to drown my sorrow, but seldom to express my happiness. Crying for joy, and singing for joy, were alike uncommon to me while in the jaws of slavery. The singing of a man cast away upon a desolate island might be as appropriately considered as evidence of contentment and happiness, as the singing of a slave; the songs of the one and of the other are prompted by the same emotion.   --Frederick Douglass https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Frederick_Douglass