The history of the penny of Great Britain and the United Kingdom from 1714 to 1901, the period in which the House of Hanover reigned, saw its transformation from a small silver coin to a larger bronze piece. All bear the portrait of the monarch on the obverse; copper and bronze pennies have a depiction of Britannia on the reverse. During most of the 18th century, the penny was a small silver coin rarely seen in circulation. Beginning in 1787, the chronic shortage of good money resulted in the wide circulation of private tokens, including ones valued at one penny. In 1797 Matthew Boulton gained a government contract and struck millions of pennies. The copper penny continued to be issued until 1860, when they were replaced by lighter bronze coins; the "Bun penny", named for the hairstyle of Queen Victoria on it, was issued from then until 1894. The final years of her reign saw the "Old head" pennies, coined from 1895 until her death in 1901. Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_British_penny_%281714%E2%80%931901%29> _______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries: 1311: The peerage and clergy of the Kingdom of England published the Ordinances of 1311 to restrict King Edward II's powers. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ordinances_of_1311> 1840: Bashir Shihab II surrendered to the Ottoman Empire and was removed as Emir of Mount Lebanon after an imperial decree by Sultan Abdülmecid I. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bashir_Shihab_II> 1950: A field-sequential color system developed by Hungarian-American engineer Peter Goldmark became the first color television system to be adopted for commercial use, only for it to be abandoned a year later. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Field-sequential_color_system> 1987: Sri Lankan Civil War: The Indian Peace Keeping Force began Operation Pawan to take control of Jaffna from the Tamil Tigers and enforce their disarmament as a part of the Indo-Sri Lanka Accord. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Pawan> _____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day: main: 1. Of chief or leading importance; prime, principal. 2. Chief, most important, or principal in extent, size, or strength; consisting of the largest part. 3. Of force, strength, etc.: full, sheer, undivided. 4. (dialectal) Big; angry. 5. (nautical) Belonging to or connected with the principal mast in a vessel. 6. (obsolete) Great in size or degree; important, powerful, strong, vast. <https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/main> ___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:   I have been one of those who have carried the fight for complete freedom of information in the United Nations. And while accepting the fact that some of our press, our radio commentators, our prominent citizens and our movies may at times be blamed legitimately for things they have said and done, still I feel that the fundamental right of freedom of thought and expression is essential. If you curtail what the other fellow says and does, you curtail what you yourself may say and do. In our country we must trust the people to hear and see both the good and the bad and to choose the good.   --Eleanor Roosevelt <https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Eleanor_Roosevelt>