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Wednesday, May 5, 2013

Why do dimes, quarters and half dollars have notches around their edges, while pennies and nickels do not?



Today's Random Fact:

The US Mint began putting notches on the edges of coins containing gold and silver to discourage holders from shaving off small quantities of the precious metals. Dimes, quarters and half dollars are notched because they used to contain silver. Pennies and nickels aren't notched because the metals they contain are not valuable enough to shave.

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Bonus Fact:

Why are zero scores in tennis called 'love'?

In France, where tennis first became popular, a big, round zero on scoreboard looked like an egg and was called 'l'oeuf,' which is French for 'egg.' When tennis was introduced in the U.S., Americans pronounced it 'love.'