The Coinage Act of 1965 eliminated silver from the United States dime (ten-cent piece) and quarter dollar, and also reduced the silver content of the half dollar from 90 percent to 40 percent. There had been coin shortages beginning in 1959, and the United States Bureau of the Mint expanded production to try to meet demand. Increased industrial demand for silver drove its price higher; there was widespread hoarding of silver coins. With government stocks of the metal being depleted, President Lyndon B. Johnson recommended that Congress allow silverless dimes and quarters, and debased silver half dollars. Congress passed the bill rapidly and Johnson signed it on July 23, 1965. The new coins began to enter circulation in late 1965, and alleviated the shortages. Precious metal coins vanished from circulation beginning in 1967 as the price of silver rose. The act also banned the production of silver dollars until at least 1970.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coinage_Act_of_1965

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1914:

Austria-Hungary presented Serbia with an ultimatum to allow them to investigate the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, which Serbia would ultimately reject, leading to World War I. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/July_Crisis

1927:

Wilfred Rhodes of England and Yorkshire became the only person to play in 1,000 first-class cricket matches. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilfred_Rhodes

1982:

During the filming of Twilight Zone: The Movie in Valencia, California, a helicopter crashed, killing three people and leading to new safety standards. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twilight_Zone_accident

1995:

Hale–Bopp, one of the most widely observed comets of the 20th century, was discovered by two independent observers, Alan Hale and Thomas Bopp. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comet_Hale%E2%80%93Bopp

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

churchical: 1. (Christianity, informal) Pertaining to or characteristic of church; ecclesiastical. 2. (chiefly Jamaican, music) Belonging to a style of Reggae music that reflects a spiritual sensibility. 3. (chiefly Jamaican, Rastafari) Pertaining to the strain of Rastafarian culture that emphasizes a traditional theocracy. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/churchical

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

The Charter of the United Nations expresses the noblest aspirations of man: abjugation of force in the settlement of disputes between states; the assurance of human rights and fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to race, sex, language or religion; the safeguarding of international peace and security. But these, too, as were the phrases of the Covenant, are only words; their value depends wholly on our will to observe and honour them and give them content and meaning. The preservation of peace and the guaranteeing of man's basic freedoms and rights require courage and eternal vigilance: courage to speak and act — and if necessary, to suffer and die — for truth and justice; eternal vigilance, that the least transgression of international morality shall not go undetected and unremedied. These lessons must be learned anew by each succeeding generation, and that generation is fortunate indeed which learns from other than its own bitter experience.   --Haile Selassie https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Haile_Selassie