Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Really? That happened in 1862?


While looking for some fun facts about some recent purchases from an estate sale, I ran across some interesting tidbits that happened in the year of 1862.  Here’s some of them:

On January 1st the first US income tax was enacted, and was collected on August 4th.

January 30th saw the launch of the US ironclad warship called the MONITOR was launched, and on March 8th saw the Confederacy launch their ironclad warship called the MERRIMACK.  The next day on the 9th, the MONITOR and the MERRIMACK engaged in the battle of Hampton Roads, the first time two ironclad ships did battle.  This fight ended in a draw.  The MONITOR sank off the North Carolina cost on December 31st, while the MERRIMACK was destroyed on May 11th to avoid falling into the hands of the Union.

On February 25th, the U.S. Congress passes the Legal Tender Act, authorizing the use of paper notes to pay the government's bills.  This type of bill is often called a “Greenback.”

What kinds of tidbits have you found when looking up your recent purchases?

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