Spring forward.
To delete this message, click the X at top right.

Today In History

Post Reply
User avatar
Suranis
Posts: 5830
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2021 5:25 pm

Re: Today In History

#101

Post by Suranis »

https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history
THIS DAY IN HISTORY
The Reno brothers carry out the first train robbery in U.S. history

On October 6, 1866, the brothers John and Simeon Reno stage the first train robbery in American history, making off with $13,000 from an Ohio and Mississippi railroad train in Jackson County, Indiana.

Of course, trains had been robbed before the Reno brothers’ holdup. But these previous crimes had all been burglaries of stationary trains sitting in depots or freight yards. The Reno brothers’ contribution to criminal history was to stop a moving train in a sparsely populated region where they could carry out their crime without risking interference from the law or curious bystanders.

Though created in Indiana, the Reno brother’s new method of robbing trains quickly became very popular in the West. Many bandits, who might otherwise have been robbing banks or stagecoaches, discovered that the newly constructed transcontinental and regional railroads in the West made attractive targets. With the western economy booming, trains often carried large amounts of cash and precious minerals. The wide-open spaces of the West also provided train robbers with plenty of isolated areas ideal for stopping trains, as well as plenty of wild spaces where they could hide from the law. Some criminal gangs, like Butch Cassidy’s Wild Bunch, found that robbing trains was so easy and lucrative that for a time they made it their criminal specialty.

The railroad owners, however, were not about to sit back and let Cassidy or any other bandit freely pillage their trains. To their dismay, would-be train robbers increasingly found that the cash and precious metals on trains were well protected in massive safes watched over by heavily armed guards. Some railroads, such as the Union Pacific, even began adding special boxcars designed to carry guards and their horses. In the event of an attempted robbery, these men could not only protect the train’s valuables, but could also quickly mount their horses and chase down the fleeing bandits—hopefully putting a permanent end to their criminal careers. As a result, by the late 19th century, train robbery was becoming an increasingly difficult—and dangerous—profession.

ALSO ON THIS DAY
Cold War
1961
President Kennedy urges Americans to build bomb shelters

1683
First Mennonites arrive in America

Encouraged by William Penn’s offer of 5,000 acres of land in the colony of Pennsylvania and the freedom to practice their religion, the first Mennonites arrive in America aboard the Concord. They were among the first Germans to settle in the American colonies.

1926
Babe Ruth sets a World Series record

On October 6, 1926, Yankee slugger Babe Ruth hits a record three homers against the St. Louis Cardinals in the fourth game of the World Series. The Yanks won the game 10-5, but despite Ruth’s unprecedented performance, they lost the championship in the seventh game.

1996
Bill Clinton debates Bob Dole

On October 6, 1996, Democratic President Bill Clinton faces his Republican challenger, Senator Bob Dole from Kansas, in their first debate of that year’s presidential campaign.

1981
The president of Egypt is assassinated

Islamic extremists assassinate Anwar Sadat, the president of Egypt, as he reviews troops on the anniversary of the Yom Kippur War.

1973
The Yom Kippur War brings United States and USSR to brink of conflict

The surprise attack by Egyptian and Syrian forces on Israel in October 1973 throws the Middle East into turmoil and threatens to bring the United States and the Soviet Union into direct conflict for the first time since the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962.

World War I
1908
Austria-Hungary annexes Bosnia-Herzegovina

On October 6, 1908, the Dual Monarchy of Austria-Hungary announces its annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, dual provinces in the Balkan region of Europe formerly under the control of the Ottoman Empire.
Hic sunt dracones
User avatar
northland10
Posts: 5596
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2021 6:47 pm
Location: Northeast Illinois
Occupation: Organist/Choir Director/Fundraising Data Analyst
Verified: ✅ I'm me.

Re: Today In History

#102

Post by northland10 »

Also on this day. Foggy writes on a rock. Adds mayo.
Edit:
1908
Austria-Hungary annexes Bosnia-Herzegovina

On October 6, 1908, the Dual Monarchy of Austria-Hungary announces its annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, dual provinces in the Balkan region of Europe formerly under the control of the Ottoman Empire.
One of the great stupid of stupids by the European "great powers" eager to burn it all down.
101010 :towel:
User avatar
raison de arizona
Posts: 17654
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2021 10:21 am
Location: Nothing, Arizona
Occupation: bit twiddler
Verified: ✔️ he/him/his

Re: Today In History

#103

Post by raison de arizona »

Today 23 years ago Matthew Shepard was found tied to a fence in near-freezing temperatures, pistol-whipped with a fractured skull near death simply for being gay. He died 6 days later. He was 21.
“Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide.” —John Adams
User avatar
RTH10260
Posts: 14351
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2021 10:16 am
Location: Switzerland, near the Alps
Verified: ✔️ Eurobot

Re: Today In History

#104

Post by RTH10260 »

40 years ago - 6 October 1981 - Egyptian president Muhammad Anwar el-Sadat assassinated

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anwar_Sadat
User avatar
RTH10260
Posts: 14351
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2021 10:16 am
Location: Switzerland, near the Alps
Verified: ✔️ Eurobot

Re: Today In History

#105

Post by RTH10260 »

120 years ago - October 12 1901 - President Theodore Roosevelt officially renamed the "Executive Mansion" as “the White House.”
Theodore Roosevelt dubs it the White House, Oct. 12, 1901
By ANDREW GLASS 10/12/2018 12:26 AM EDT

https://www.politico.com/story/2018/10/ ... 901-881095
User avatar
RTH10260
Posts: 14351
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2021 10:16 am
Location: Switzerland, near the Alps
Verified: ✔️ Eurobot

Re: Today In History

#106

Post by RTH10260 »

55 years ago - October 15, 1966 - Black Panthers Party founded

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Panther_Party
Last edited by Foggy on Sun Oct 10, 2021 12:06 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: speling/grammer
User avatar
RTH10260
Posts: 14351
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2021 10:16 am
Location: Switzerland, near the Alps
Verified: ✔️ Eurobot

Re: Today In History

#107

Post by RTH10260 »

50 years ago - October 1971 - Persia's 2,500th anniversary
The most expensive party ever, from 12 to 14 October, 1971.

In October 1971 the Shah of Persia flew in eighteen tons of food to celebrate his country’s 2,500th anniversary and his own glory. Emperors, kings, presidents and sheikhs from all over the world were regaled for three days amidst the ancient ruins of Persepolis.


https://www.alimentarium.org/en/magazin ... party-ever
User avatar
Tiredretiredlawyer
Posts: 7541
Joined: Tue Feb 23, 2021 10:07 pm
Location: Rescue Pets Land
Occupation: 21st Century Suffragist
Verified: ✅🐴🐎🦄🌻5000 posts and counting

Re: Today In History

#108

Post by Tiredretiredlawyer »

https://nationaldaycalendar.com/october ... al-costum/
NATIONAL FREETHOUGHT DAY HISTORY

Several groups since at least 1997 have promoted Freethought Day. Organizations such as the Freethought Society, American Humanist Association, and Secular Coalition For America are just a few.

The organizers selected the date of October 12th due to a series of events dating back to the Salem Witch Trials in 1692. Throughout the trials, questionable evidence and accusers’ claims of witnessing devils and specters caused the case to halted. Eventually, the hysteria surrounding the case and a letter written by the Massachusetts Governor William Phips on October 12th declared “spectral evidence” inadmissible in court. Up until that point, at least 20 accused had already been executed. The governor’s letter saved hundreds of lives.

At some point, the trials did resume and “spectral evidence” was allowed but largely discounted and those convicted were swiftly pardoned by Phips.
"Mickey Mouse and I grew up together." - Ruthie Tompson, Disney animation checker and scene planner and one of the first women to become a member of the International Photographers Union in 1952.
User avatar
Suranis
Posts: 5830
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2021 5:25 pm

Re: Today In History

#109

Post by Suranis »

Saw this on facebook today on a page called Timeghost. I caught this a day late. Still very interesting though
On 12 October 1942, a three-day battle between German prisoners of war and Canadian camp guards comes to an end in Bowmanville, Canada.
.
Since the beginning of the war, some 16,000 German POWs have been transferred to Canada. Although it may look like a lot of effort to ship them all across the Atlantic for internment when there's enough room for them in Britain, the British believed it was best to keep them locked away as far as possible. It would ensure no one escaped to Germany and that the invading German Army would never release their captives, a genuine threat during the days of the Battle of Britain.
.
The German POWs are living a quiet and relatively comfortable life in Canada when they suddenly become the center of a diplomatic crisis. The German government accuses the British of war crimes, stating that they shackle their prisoners of war, as proven by a written order retrieved at Dieppe and the bound bodies found on Sark earlier this month. As a reprisal, the Germans announce that they have shackled all POWs captured at Dieppe. More on this 'shackling crisis' in the upcoming War Against Humanity episode, which is already up for the TimeGhost Army members.
.
The British soon retaliate with the shackling of an equal number of prisoners, which is to be partially done in Canada, and more specifically, Bowmanville POW camp. The Canadian camp guards try to get the Germans to cooperate, but they instead get a massive revolt that spins out of control. Several shots are fired, and some prisoners are stabbed by bayonets, but no one dies. The fight is soon over, but the battle continues when around 400 POWs barricade themselves in the camp's main hall for a stand-off.
.
The siege enters its third day when, today, reinforcements arrive from a nearby commando training course. The reinforced Canadians break the windows and throw in a firehose to flush the Germans out. Thirty-five minutes and some tear gas later, the Germans lift the barricade to surrender. The Battle of Bowmanville is over, but the shackling crisis continues.
.
Photo: German POWs playing chess in Farnham, Quebec, Canada, November 1945.
Source: Library and Archives Canada / PA-213875
Image
Hic sunt dracones
User avatar
RTH10260
Posts: 14351
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2021 10:16 am
Location: Switzerland, near the Alps
Verified: ✔️ Eurobot

Re: Today In History

#110

Post by RTH10260 »

100 years ago - October 1921 - Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to Albert Einstein

(with a twist)
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1921 was awarded to Albert Einstein "for his services to Theoretical Physics, and especially for his discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect."

Albert Einstein received his Nobel Prize one year later, in 1922. During the selection process in 1921, the Nobel Committee for Physics decided that none of the year's nominations met the criteria as outlined in the will of Alfred Nobel. According to the Nobel Foundation's statutes, the Nobel Prize can in such a case be reserved until the following year, and this statute was then applied. Albert Einstein therefore received his Nobel Prize for 1921 one year later, in 1922.

https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/physics/1921/summary/
User avatar
Tiredretiredlawyer
Posts: 7541
Joined: Tue Feb 23, 2021 10:07 pm
Location: Rescue Pets Land
Occupation: 21st Century Suffragist
Verified: ✅🐴🐎🦄🌻5000 posts and counting

Re: Today In History

#111

Post by Tiredretiredlawyer »

Earl Lloyd becomes first Black player in the NBA

On October 31, 1950, 21-year-old Earl Lloyd becomes the first African American to play in an NBA game when he takes the court in the season opener for the Washington Capitols.

Lloyd grew up in Jim Crow Virginia and went to West Virginia State, where he was the star of the school’s championship basketball team. He didn’t know he’d been drafted by the NBA until he ran into a friend on campus who told him she’d heard a rumor that he’d be moving to Washington. It turned out that the Capitols had picked him in the ninth round of the draft. Two other Black players joined the NBA that season—the Celtics drafted Chuck Cooper in the second round and the New York Knicks got Nat “Sweetwater” Clifton from the Harlem Globetrotters—but the Knicks and the Celts didn’t start their seasons until November. As a result, Lloyd became a coincidental pioneer: the first Black player to make his debut in the NBA.

Joining an all-white team was intimidating, Lloyd remembered, but his teammates—most of whom had played on integrated college teams—were immediately welcoming. Some fans, however, were less kind. As the announcer read the Capitols’ lineup on that first night of the season, a white man in the front row used a racial slur.
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-his ... in-the-nba
"Mickey Mouse and I grew up together." - Ruthie Tompson, Disney animation checker and scene planner and one of the first women to become a member of the International Photographers Union in 1952.
User avatar
Tiredretiredlawyer
Posts: 7541
Joined: Tue Feb 23, 2021 10:07 pm
Location: Rescue Pets Land
Occupation: 21st Century Suffragist
Verified: ✅🐴🐎🦄🌻5000 posts and counting

Re: Today In History

#112

Post by Tiredretiredlawyer »

This is a yesterday in history - Madame Curie's birthday.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie_Curie
Marie Salomea Skłodowska Curie (/ˈkjʊəri/ KEWR-ee;[3] French: [kyʁi]; Polish: [kʲiˈri], born Maria Salomea Skłodowska Polish: [ˈmarja salɔˈmɛa skwɔˈdɔfska]; 7 November 1867 – 4 July 1934) was a Polish and naturalized-French physicist and chemist who conducted pioneering research on radioactivity. She was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize, the first person and the only woman to win the Nobel Prize twice, and the only person to win the Nobel Prize in two scientific fields. Her husband, Pierre Curie, was a co-winner on her first Nobel Prize, making them the first ever married couple to win the Nobel Prize and launching the Curie family legacy of five Nobel Prizes. She was, in 1906, the first woman to become a professor at the University of Paris.[4]

She was born in Warsaw, in what was then the Kingdom of Poland, part of the Russian Empire. She studied at Warsaw's clandestine Flying University and began her practical scientific training in Warsaw. In 1891, aged 24, she followed her elder sister Bronisława to study in Paris, where she earned her higher degrees and conducted her subsequent scientific work. In 1895 she married the French physicist Pierre Curie, and she shared the 1903 Nobel Prize in Physics with him and with the physicist Henri Becquerel for their pioneering work developing the theory of "radioactivity"—a term she coined.[5][6] In 1906 Pierre Curie died in a Paris street accident. Marie won the 1911 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for her discovery of the elements polonium and radium, using techniques she invented for isolating radioactive isotopes.

Under her direction, the world's first studies were conducted into the treatment of neoplasms by the use of radioactive isotopes. In 1920 she founded the Curie Institute in Paris, and in 1932 the Curie Institute in Warsaw; both remain major centres of medical research. During World War I she developed mobile radiography units to provide X-ray services to field hospitals.
AND she had two daughters!
"Mickey Mouse and I grew up together." - Ruthie Tompson, Disney animation checker and scene planner and one of the first women to become a member of the International Photographers Union in 1952.
User avatar
Foggy
Dick Tater
Posts: 9554
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2021 8:45 am
Location: Fogbow HQ
Occupation: Dick Tater/Space Cadet
Verified: as seen on qvc zombie apocalypse

Re: Today in History

#113

Post by Foggy »

On this day in 1963, John F. Kennedy was assassinated.

:whisper: Or was he? :think: :confuzzled:
Out from under. :thumbsup:
User avatar
zekeb
Posts: 664
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2021 1:12 pm
Location: Strawberry Hill
Occupation: Stable genius. One who tosses horseshit with a pitchfork and never misses the spreader.

Re: Today in History

#114

Post by zekeb »

Also too.

I got stuck and needed an emergency rescue when I got caught in a sudden blizzard high up on the mountain.

Ellie left us.
Il factotum
User avatar
raison de arizona
Posts: 17654
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2021 10:21 am
Location: Nothing, Arizona
Occupation: bit twiddler
Verified: ✔️ he/him/his

Re: Today in History

#115

Post by raison de arizona »

A day that will live in infamy, today is the 80th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, December 7th, 1941.
“Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide.” —John Adams
User avatar
Estiveo
Posts: 2302
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2021 9:50 am
Location: Inland valley, Central Coast, CA
Verified:

Re: Today in History

#116

Post by Estiveo »

raison de arizona wrote: Tue Dec 07, 2021 11:40 am A day that will live in infamy, today is the 80th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, December 7th, 1941.
Marge effed up the quote.
Estiveoshot_20211207_084254.jpg
Image Image Image Image
User avatar
Foggy
Dick Tater
Posts: 9554
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2021 8:45 am
Location: Fogbow HQ
Occupation: Dick Tater/Space Cadet
Verified: as seen on qvc zombie apocalypse

Re: Today in History

#117

Post by Foggy »

80 years ago. Pearl Harbor.

My dad says he was at a Redskins game with his dad (he was 13 at the time), and this is verified, the Eagles were in town. My grandfather, by this time, was a retired Captain in the Navy; he was recalled and placed in charge of Navy Map for the duration, and retired (again) as a rear admiral.

But at the time, neither of them had a clue, except the PA system kept announcing:

"General Smith, report to your office immediately. Admiral Jones, report to your office immediately." And so on, until everyone at the game knew there was something big, but nobody knew what.

Put it in the goog and hit it, there are stories about the game.

And that was my father's introduction to World War II. :oldman:
Out from under. :thumbsup:
User avatar
noblepa
Posts: 2403
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2021 2:55 pm
Location: Bay Village, Ohio
Occupation: Retired IT Nerd

Re: Today in History

#118

Post by noblepa »

Estiveo wrote: Tue Dec 07, 2021 11:45 am
raison de arizona wrote: Tue Dec 07, 2021 11:40 am A day that will live in infamy, today is the 80th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, December 7th, 1941.
Marge effed up the quote.

Estiveoshot_20211207_084254.jpg
She probably thinks that the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor.
qbawl
Posts: 738
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2021 11:05 am

Re: Today in History

#119

Post by qbawl »

noblepa wrote: Tue Dec 07, 2021 12:34 pm
Estiveo wrote: Tue Dec 07, 2021 11:45 am
raison de arizona wrote: Tue Dec 07, 2021 11:40 am A day that will live in infamy, today is the 80th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, December 7th, 1941.
Marge effed up the quote.

Estiveoshot_20211207_084254.jpg
She probably thinks that the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor.
According to Senator Blutarsky . . .
User avatar
RTH10260
Posts: 14351
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2021 10:16 am
Location: Switzerland, near the Alps
Verified: ✔️ Eurobot

Re: Today In History

#120

Post by RTH10260 »

200 years ago - 12 December 1821 – birth of Gustave Flaubert
Wikipedia wrote:Gustave Flaubert ; 12 December 1821 – 8 May 1880) was a French novelist. Highly influential, he has been considered the leading exponent of literary realism in his country. According to the literary theorist Kornelije Kvas, "in Flaubert, realism strives for formal perfection, so the presentation of reality tends to be neutral, emphasizing the values and importance of style as an objective method of presenting reality".[3] He is known especially for his debut novel Madame Bovary (1857), his Correspondence, and his scrupulous devotion to his style and aesthetics. The celebrated short story writer Guy de Maupassant was a protégé of Flaubert. On the occasion of Flaubert's 198th birthday (12 December 2019), a group of researchers at CNRS published a neural language model under his name.[4][5]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gustave_Flaubert
User avatar
Tiredretiredlawyer
Posts: 7541
Joined: Tue Feb 23, 2021 10:07 pm
Location: Rescue Pets Land
Occupation: 21st Century Suffragist
Verified: ✅🐴🐎🦄🌻5000 posts and counting

Re: Today In History

#121

Post by Tiredretiredlawyer »

https://government-programs.laws.com/ex-parte-endo
Ex Parte Endo
Ex parte Endo is short for the case Ex parte Mitsuye Endo. It’s one of the most important cases in United States concerning the rights of Japanese-Americans. The case eventually reached the Supreme Court, and the Court ruled 9-0 that Japanese-American citizens could not remain detained if the government believed they were loyal to the United States.

Executive Order 9066 allowed the United States government to detain Americans with Japanese ancestry during the time of war, but Executive Order 9066 was challenged in 1942 by Mitsuye Endo, the only female to resist against the Executive Order. Ms. Endo was contacted by a civil liberties attorney named James Purcell while she was detained at the Tule Lake concentration camp in Northern California. Purcell wanted Ms. Endo to challenge the case, and he helped her file a habeas corpus petition in 1942.

Korematsu v. United States was brought before the Supreme Court at the same time. The case challenged the constitutionality of Executive Order 9066 which allowed the government to place Japanese Americans in the camps even if they were U.S. citizens.

The court heard both of the cases on October 11, 1944, but the Supreme Court decided to delay their decision until December 18, 1944. The date of the decision by the Supreme Court fell one day after President Roosevelt announced the Executive Order was being ended by the Western Defense Command. Political maneuvering perhaps? Why delay the decision?

The Supreme Court still made decisions on both of the cases though. During the Ex parte Endo case, the Supreme Court ruled that the government could not continue to detain Mitsuye Endo in a concentration camp because she posed no danger to the United States. The decision by the Supreme Court allowed Japanese-Americans to return to the West Coast and resettle.

The Court did not rule so favorably in the Korematsu case. In a 6-3 decision, the Supreme Court ruled that the Order was constitutional because the risk of espionage was more important than the rights of Korematsu and all other Japanese-Americans.
"Mickey Mouse and I grew up together." - Ruthie Tompson, Disney animation checker and scene planner and one of the first women to become a member of the International Photographers Union in 1952.
User avatar
RTH10260
Posts: 14351
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2021 10:16 am
Location: Switzerland, near the Alps
Verified: ✔️ Eurobot

Re: Today In History

#122

Post by RTH10260 »

50 years ago - Bangladesh independance from Pakistan - December 1971
Independence from Pakistan
• Declared 26 March 1971
• V-Day 16 December 1971
• Current constitution 16 December 1972

and much more at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banglades ... h_Pakistan
with a reminder on the nastier events:
1971 killing of Bengali intellectuals

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1971_kill ... ellectuals
User avatar
RTH10260
Posts: 14351
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2021 10:16 am
Location: Switzerland, near the Alps
Verified: ✔️ Eurobot

Re: Today In History

#123

Post by RTH10260 »

20 years ago - 1 January 2002 - the Euro € is the new currency for the EC countries
20 years of euro banknotes and coins

The euro is an everyday reminder of the benefits of European integration

On 1 January 2002 people in 12 EU countries held euro banknotes and coins in their hands for the first time. Today, the euro is the currency of over 340 million people in 19 EU Member States.


https://www.ecb.europa.eu/euro/20_years ... ex.en.html
with the notable absence of the UK continuing with their own pound £.
User avatar
RTH10260
Posts: 14351
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2021 10:16 am
Location: Switzerland, near the Alps
Verified: ✔️ Eurobot

Re: Today In History

#124

Post by RTH10260 »

:doh: catching up with a very very late note for last year

50 years ago - February 14 1971 - the British £ goes decimal

as remembered by the BBC in 2011
How Britain converted to decimal currency

By Len Freeman
BBC News

Do you remember the tanner, shilling, florin and half crown?

If you do, you must be at least in your 40s, because it was back in February 1971, 40 years ago, that Britain "went decimal" and hundreds of years of everyday currency was turned into history overnight.

On 14 February that year, there were 12 pennies to the shilling and 20 shillings to the pound. The following day all that was history and the pound was made up of 100 new pence.

Decimalisation - having a currency based on simple multiples of 10 and 100 - had been a long time coming to Britain.
Lansdowne
Posts: 78
Joined: Tue Aug 03, 2021 12:49 pm

Re: Today In History

#125

Post by Lansdowne »

Much of the logistical planning for the introduction of the physical Euro currency in 2002 was based on the experience of the British (and Irish) changeover in 1971.

Including the length of the 2-3 year planning period when the banks and businesses made their preparations and the public were made ready for the change.

And including the experience that the post-changeover period (when the old and new coins/notes were both in use) would not need to be long as people switched their money in the first few weeks. The UK changeover period was intended to be 18 months but the old pennies and 3d pieces were demonetized after about 6 months because no one used them any more.

What was not adopted by the EU was the changeover date in the middle of February. That date was carefully chosen in Britain as being the least busy period of the year in terms of volume of shopping transactions, tourism, holidays etc. But the Eurocrats couldn't conceive of making the currency change at any time other than Jan. 1st, so many people had to work over the holidays to get their systems ready for the change.
Post Reply

Return to “General Stuff”