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Big Money: Who Doesn’t Need a $10,000 Bill?
On this date in 1969, the United States retired all currency above $100. Here are some things you may not have known about large denomination currency. The first $500 bill was issued in North Carolina in 1780, followed by Virginia, which also began printing $1,000 and $2,000 bills a year later. However, the first high-denomination…
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Hollywood Sign: Above It All Since 1923
On this date in 1923, the Hollywood Sign in Los Angeles was dedicated. Here are some things you may not have known about it. Originally the sign read “Hollywoodland” as a promotion for a housing development in the Hollywood Hills. One of the developers of the project was Harry Chandler, the owner of the Los…
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Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond
On this date in 1862, the Medal of Honor was authorized by the United States Congress. Here are some things you may not have known about America’s highest military honor. The medal is sometimes known as the Congressional Medal of Honor, as it is awarded by the President in the name of the Congress, although…
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Hamilton: The World Was Wide Enough
On this date in 1804, former Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton was shot in a duel with Vice President Aaron Burr. Here are some things you may not have known about the duel. Alexander Hamilton was born in the West Indies and was orphaned as a child. His intelligence impressed local businessmen, who sent…
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Wall Street Journal: Financial News since 1889
On this date in 1889, the Wall Street Journal was published for the first time. Here are some things you may not have known about the newspaper. The company started by publishing news bulletins delivered by hand to traders at the New York Stock Exchange in the early 1880s. Eventually, the updates would be combined…
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Chocolate, Chocolate, Chocolate
Today is International Chocolate Day. Here are some things you may not have known about chocolate. Chocolate is made from the cacao tree, which is native to Mexico and Central America. Early on most chocolate was consumed as a beverage. Samples of fermented cacao beans have been found at sites dating to 1900 BC on…
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Louis Pasteur: Saving Lives, One Microbe at a Time
On this date in 1885, Louis Pasteur tested his vaccine for rabies on a boy who had been bitten by a rabid dog. Here are some things you may not have known about Pasteur. Louis Pasteur was born in 1822 in eastern France. As a child Pasteur didn’t show much inclination toward science, focusing instead…
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Secret Service: Protecting the President and Catching Counterfeiters
On this date in 1865, the United States Secret Service was formed. Here are some things you may not have known about the agency charged with protecting the President of the United States. The Secret Service was created as a division of the Treasury Department with the aim of suppressing currency counterfeiting. At the time,…
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Fireworks: A Fire in the Sky
Today is Independence Day in the United States. Here are some things you may not have known about fireworks. The history of fireworks can be traced to the seventh century in China, which is also where gunpowder was developed. Fireworks have played an important role in many Chinese cultural celebrations ever since. Eventually fireworks and…
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Tour de France: A Long Ride
On this date in 1903, the first Tour de France bicycle race began in Paris. Here are a few things you may not have known about the Tour de France. The 1903 race was sponsored by a sports newspaper called L’Auto as a publicity stunt. Its circulation was sagging compared to its main competitor Le…