The five Panama–Pacific commemorative coins($50 piece pictured) were produced in connection with the 1915 Panama–Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco. Struck at that city's mint, the issue included round and octagonal $50 pieces. Excepting modern bullion coins, these two gold pieces are the highest denomination ever issued and the largest coins ever struck by the United States Mint. The octagonal $50 piece is the only non-round U.S. coin ever issued. In January 1915, Congress passed legislation for a silver half dollar, as well as a gold dollar, a quarter eagle ($2.50 piece), and the two $50 pieces. The Mint had already consulted artists, but Treasury SecretaryWilliam G. McAdoo initially rejected all their designs. Two of them persevered, Robert I. Aitken for the $50 pieces and Charles Keck for the gold dollar, and their submissions were used. The half dollar and quarter eagle were designed by Chief EngraverCharles E. Barber, possibly with the participation of his longtime assistant, George T. Morgan. The coins did not sell well, and many of each denomination were returned for melting. Only a few hundred of each of the $50 pieces were distributed, making them the lowest-mintage commemorative coins. They catalog for up to $200,000, depending on condition. (Full article...)
... that in 1986 The New York Times adopted the use of the honorific "Ms." to refer to women, regardless of marital status, after Paula Kassell argued for the change at a shareholders' meeting?
1991 – The eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines deposited large amounts of particulate into the atmosphere, enough to lower global temperatures by about 0.5 °C (0.9 °F).
One hundred fifty two tornadoes touched down during a large tornado outbreak that took place across much of the Central and parts of the Eastern United States, as well as southern Canada, from May 2 to 8, 1999. The most dramatic events unfolded during the afternoon of May 3 through the early morning hours of May 4 when more than half of these storms occurred. Oklahoma experienced its largest tornado outbreak on record, with 70 confirmed. The most notable of these was the F5Bridge Creek–Moore tornado which devastated suburban communities to the southwest of Oklahoma City. The tornado killed 36 people and injured 583 others; losses amounted to $1 billion, making it the first billion-dollar tornado in history. Overall, 50 people lost their lives during the outbreak and damage amounted to $1.4 billion. On May 2, a strong area of low pressure moved out of the Rocky Mountains and into the High Plains, producing scattered severe weather and ten tornadoes in Nebraska. Over the following 48 hours, May 3–4, 116 tornadoes (map from May 3 pictured) touched down across the Central United States. Following the extensive outbreak, activity became increasingly scattered from May 5 to 8. (Full list...)
Cotton MS Augustus II.106, one of four surviving exemplifications of Magna Carta. This document, sealed by King John of England on 15 June 1215 (O.S.), was drafted by the Archbishop of Canterbury to make peace between the unpopular king and a group of rebel barons. The charter promised the protection of church rights, protection for the barons from illegal imprisonment, access to swift justice, and limitations on feudal payments to the Crown.
The document was reissued and renewed several times over the centuries, though its political impact decreased as later laws were passed. The charter was significant because the king had agreed to limit his power, so that although it dealt predominantly with the king and the barons, since the late 16th century it has been considered a symbol of liberty and the freedom of the individual.
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