Intended as a memorial to the assassinated President John F. Kennedy, it
was authorized by Congress just over a month after his death. Use of
existing works by Mint sculptors Gilroy Roberts and Frank Gasparro
allowed dies to be prepared quickly, and striking of the new coins began
in January 1964. The coins vanished from circulation upon their release
in March 1964 due to collectors, hoarders, and those interested in a
memento of the late president. Although the Mint greatly increased
production, they still failed to circulate. Starting with 1965-dated
pieces, the percentage of fine silver was reduced from 90% to 40%
(silver clad), but even this change failed to restore the coin to
circulation. In 1971, silver was eliminated entirely. A special design
for the reverse of the half dollar was issued for the United States
Bicentennial and was struck in 1975 and 1976. Even though ample supplies
of half dollars are now available, their circulation is extremely
limited. Since 2002, Kennedy half dollars have only been struck to
satisfy the demand from collectors, and are available at a premium
through the Mint.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kennedy_half_dollar>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1603:
King James VI of Scotland acceded to the thrones of England
and Ireland, becoming James I of England and unifying the crowns of the
kingdoms for the first time.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_VI_and_I>
1869:
The last of Māori leader Titokowaru's forces surrendered to
the New Zealand government, ending his uprising.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titokowaru%27s_War>
1944:
World War II: German occupation troops killed 335 people in
Rome as a reprisal for a partisan attack conducted on the previous day
against the SS Police Regiment Bozen.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ardeatine_massacre>
1989:
The tanker Exxon Valdez spilled more than 10 million
US gallons of oil into Prince William Sound, Alaska, causing one of the
most devastating man-made environmental disasters at sea.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exxon_Valdez_oil_spill>
2008:
The Bhutan Peace and Prosperity Party, led by Jigme Thinley,
won 45 out of 47 seats in the National Assembly of Bhutan in the
country's first-ever general election.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhutanese_National_Assembly_election,_2008>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
siesta:
An afternoon nap, especially the one taken after lunch in some cultures.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/siesta>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
 The fact that political ideologies are tangible realities is
not a proof of their vitally necessary character. The bubonic plague was
an extraordinarily powerful social reality, but no one would have
regarded it as vitally necessary.
--Wilhelm Reich
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Wilhelm_Reich>
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