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First Post
21-06-2025
- Politics
- First Post
History Today: How the US constitution was ratified and came to life
On June 21, 1788, the US constitution was ratified and became the law after New Hampshire became the ninth of the 13 states to approve it. Also on this same day in 1990, a powerful earthquake ripped through Iran, killing more than 50,000 people read more The U.S. Constitution was ratified in 1788, with the process concluding on June 21, 1788, when New Hampshire became the ninth state to approve it. Representational image/Pixabay Today, many in America claim that Donald Trump is eroding the values enshrined in America's constitution. But did you know that the constitution in the United States came into law on June 21, 1788? Also, on this day in 1990, one of the world's most devastating earthquakes struck Iran, killing an estimated 50,000 people and injuring another 100,000 people. If you are a history fan, Firstpost Explainers' ongoing series, History Today , will be your one-stop destination to explore key events. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD US Constitution becomes law Until June 21, 1788 when the constitution was ratified, America was governed by the Articles of Confederation. However, this changed when New Hampshire became the ninth of 13 states to ratify it. The journey to ratification was a long and arduous process. Rewind to six months back and in December, five states — Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, and Connecticut — ratified it in quick succession. However, other states, especially Massachusetts, opposed the document, as it failed to reserve undelegated powers to the states and lacked constitutional protection of basic political rights, such as freedom of speech, religion, and the press. John Trumbull's painting, Declaration of Independence, depicting the five-man drafting committee of the Declaration of Independence presenting their work to the Congress. File image/Wikimedia Commons It was in February 1788 that a compromise was struck and Massachusetts and other states agreed to ratify the document based on the promise that amendments would be immediately proposed. Finally, on June 21, 1788, New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify the document, and it was subsequently agreed that government under the US Constitution would begin on March 4, 1789. In June, Virginia ratified the Constitution, followed by New York in July. Today, the US Constitution is recognised as the oldest written constitution in the world. It consists of seven articles and has been amended 27 times until now. Notably, the US constitution's first three words are 'We The People', which affirms that the government of the United States exists to serve its citizens. Earthquake devastates Iran One of the world's deadliest earthquakes took place on June 21, 1990 causing unprecedented destruction in Iran. On this day, a powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck near the Caspian Sea, killing an estimated 50,000 and injuring another 100,000 people. The powerful temblor hit Iran post midnight, shaking people up from their slumber and shattering the night tranquillity. Following the quake, the cities of Rudbar and Manjil lay in absolute ruin with the National Geophysical Data Center estimating that the devastation amounted to a whopping $8 billion. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD A man stands among the the ruins of a building destroyed by the June 21 massive earthquake that killed over 50,000 people in northwest Iran. File image/AFP What made matters worse was that a 6.5-magnitude aftershock the following morning caused a burst dam in Rasht, wiping out a large stretch of farmland. Landslides made many roads impassable and many of the people who initially survived under the rubble could not be rescued before their air supply ran out. An estimated 400,000 people were left homeless by the earthquake. Following the devastation, worldwide relief efforts began with Iran grudgingly accepting assistance from the United States, though it refused help from Israel and South Africa. Greenland assumes self-rule June 21, 2009 also marks the day when Greenland gained self-rule. This came after the people of Greenland held a referendum in November 2008 and subsequently approved the Self-Government Act. Through this, Greenland assumed responsibility for self-government of its judicial affairs, policing matters, and natural resources. Moreover, Greenlanders were recognised as a separate people under international law. However, foreign policy, defence policy, and security policy remains in the hands of Denmark. This Day, That Year >> Battle of Okinawa concludes with the defeat of Japanese forces on June 21, 1945. >> On this day, in 1893, the first Ferris wheel, invented by George Washington Gale Ferris, Jr, made its debut, at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago.
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Honoring the U.S. Army: Lebanon to celebrate 250th commemoration
LEBANON — An anniversary commemoration of the founding of the United States Army will be held at the War Office in Lebanon this weekend. The commemoration will be held Saturday at the War Office, 149 West Town Street, Lebanon. The First Congregational Church bells, designed by Colonel John Trumbull, painter of the American Revolution, will ring 13 times for the 13 American colonies at 1 p.m. to start the ceremony. The ceremony is open to the public and is being held by the Sons of the American Revolution. There will also be a National SAR special grave marking ceremony at the tomb of General George Washington, as Commander-in-Chief, at Mount Vernon. 'It's a very important day in U.S. history,' said Todd Gerlander, chairman of the CTSSAR Historic Sites & Celebrations-America 250 Committee. 'This was the start of the United States Army, with the creation of the Continental Army on June 14, 1775.' The day after, General George Washington was appointed commander-in-chief. The Continental Army would go on to defeat the British during the American Revolution. 'All of our 250th anniversary celebrations are a little bit different, depending on the historical event we're commemorating,' Gerlander said. 'We will have a speaker on the Continental Army (he will also be dressed as a Continental soldier), and we will have a modern U.S. Army soldier to compare and contrast.' There will also be a display of the Continental soldiers inside the war office. As June 14 also marks Flag Day, an outdoor flag display will be on display, weather permitting.
Yahoo
24-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
15 Strange Facts You Never Knew About Your Money
You might not think twice about the money you use every day, but you should. There could be some facts about your bills and coins that might fascinate you — and they could be useful, too. Do you know what bills are made out of? (Hint: It's not paper). What about how long the typical bill stays in circulation? Find Out: Be Aware: From the hidden messages in money to the security features you never noticed, here are some interesting facts about your money. The $2 bill was first printed in 1862. Interestingly, $2 notes were considered unlucky and unpopular throughout most of history. The back of the bill depicts the famous John Trumbull painting 'Declaration of Independence' — sans five of the 47 people who appear in the original. So, although plenty of conspiracy theories about money have fixated on the $2 bill, perhaps the real controversy here is who was left out on the final design. Learn More: Check Out: After being used on a regular basis, bills wear out and are taken out of circulation. The $1 bill gets the most use and typically only lasts about 5.8 years. However, it's not the shortest life expectancy for a bill — that title belongs to the $10 bill, which surprising only lasts about 4.5 years. The $5 bill also has a shorter lifespan than the $1 bill, coming in at 5.5 years, whereas the $20 and $50 bills start to trend upward at 7.9 years and 8.5 years, respectively. The longest lifespan belongs to the $100 bill, which lasts an average of 15 years. For You: If you have money that's been badly damaged, don't be too quick to throw it out. The Bureau of Engraving and Printing might redeem it at full value. To qualify for the redemption, you must have more than half of the original note, including any relevant security feature. Or, you can qualify if you have less than half but are able to prove how the note was mutilated and that the missing portions were destroyed. From time to time, Congress authorizes the U.S. Mint to make a limited production run of special commemorative coins. These coins are still legal currency, but they're generally not intended for general circulation. By selling commemorative coins to collectors, the U.S. Mint has raised hundreds of millions to fund various museums, monuments and other programs. The motto 'In God We Trust' hasn't always been a staple on U.S. currency. It wasn't until 1957 that it first appeared on paper bills, but it has appeared on the penny since 1909, the dime since 1916 and all full-, half- and quarter-dollar coins since 1908. However, the motto isn't appreciated by all. Kenneth Mayle, a self-described satanist from Chicago, filed a federal lawsuit in May 2017 that claimed the implicit religious message behind the motto violated his rights. A judge threw out the case, and then Mayle lost his appeal with the 7th Circuit Court of U.S. Appeals. Up Next: We're so used to seeing portraits and faces on our currency today. However, early coins produced by the United States used images of Liberty and the bald eagle rather than the faces of prominent figures. That's because the British used pictures of the monarchs on their currency, and having just won their independence, Americans didn't want to be reminded of that. Hold up your bill to the light, and you'll see a second image of the portrait. For example, with a $100 bill, you can see Benjamin Franklin from both sides of the bill in the blank space located on the right side of the portrait. Want to learn how to spot counterfeit money? Embedded security threads are also used to protect against counterfeiting. If you have a UV light, hold it up to your bill to see the thread glow. On the $5 bill, the thread glows blue. On the $10 bill, it glows orange. On the $20 bill, it glows green. On the $50 bill, it glows yellow. On the $100 bill, it glows pink. Though people commonly refer to bills as 'paper' money, they actually aren't made from paper. Instead, each bill is a combination of 75% cotton and 25% linen. See More: Under English rule, the colonies were banned from making their own currency and were forced to use their existing coins or creatively barter with each other, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia. However, in 1652, Massachusetts started making its own coins against the British directive. In an attempt to mitigate any punishment they would receive if the British ever found the currency illegal, they dated all of the coins with the year '1652' — even though they continued to be produced for many years. The initial Articles of Confederation — aka the predecessor to the Constitution — gave both Congress and the states the right to coin money. Can you imagine the hassle of having to get new currency every time you crossed a state line? Ultimately, it was decided there should be only one national coinage. Under the Coinage Act of 1792, gold coins had different values, including $2.50 (called a quarter eagle), $5 (half eagle) and $10 (eagle). If you think those names are weird, wait until you find out what people call money in different parts of the world. Some of the terms used to describe money include toad (Denmark), pasta (Spain), lobster (Australia) and mosquito (Germany). It's almost as weird as calling money cheddar or dough… Early silver coins didn't even have denominations marked on them and were all identical — except for their size. So, the only way you would know how much they were worth was by their size. It wasn't until 1804 that quarters started bearing '25c' on them to show how much they were worth. Take a Look: Though the colonies issued paper money prior to winning independence, the federal government didn't start circulating paper money (greenbacks) until 1861. That's because the government needed to finance the Civil War — which was expensive — and needed the 'Demand Notes' issued by the Treasury to secure loans from Northeastern banks. As such, any and all U.S. tender issued in 1861 or later remains legal tender to this day, redeemable at its face value. During the Civil War, there was a shortage in the supply of coins. At the time, they were still made of silver and gold, so people were holding on to them because the metals were valuable. To address this, the government started accepting postage stamps as payment for debts. Ironically, and perhaps unsurprisingly, this caused a shortage of stamps. So, the government authorized printing 'fractional currency,' which were bills with denominations under $1 starting in 1863. More From GOBankingRates Who Would Benefit the Most from Trump's Social Security Tax Plan I'm a Retired Boomer: 6 Bills I Canceled This Year That Were a Waste of Money25 Creative Ways To Save Money This article originally appeared on 15 Strange Facts You Never Knew About Your Money Sign in to access your portfolio
