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Today's featured article The Draped Bust dollar is a United States dollar coin minted from 1795 to 1803, and again throughout the 19th century. The designer is unknown, though the distinction is usually credited to artist Gilbert Stuart. The model is also unknown, though Ann Willing Bingham has been suggested. In October 1795, newly appointed Mint Director Elias Boudinot ordered that the legal fineness of .892 (89.2%) silver be used for the dollar rather than the unauthorized fineness of .900 (90%) silver that had been used since the denomination was first minted in 1794. Due largely to a decrease in the amount of silver deposited at the Philadelphia Mint, coinage of silver dollars declined throughout the end of the 18th century. In 1804, coinage of silver dollars was halted, and officially ended in 1806 by order of Secretary of State James Madison. In 1834, silver dollar production was temporarily restarted to supply a diplomatic mission to Asia with a special set of proof coins. Officials mistakenly believed that dollars had last been minted with the date 1804, prompting them to use that date rather than the date in which the coins were actually struck. A limited number of 1804 dollars were struck by the Mint in later years, and they remain rare and valuable. (more...) Recently featured: Hurricane John – Miss Meyers – Teresa Cristina of the Two Sicilies Did you know... From Wikipedia's newest content: ... that Kenmore (pictured) was used by Colonel Walker of the Army of Northern Virginia as a headquarters during the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House in 1864? ... that the collection at the National Museum of African Art is the largest publicly held African art collection in the United States? ... that Gerhard C. Kallevig was a pioneer in establishing bus routes in Norway? ... that the German drama film Jerichow was nominated for the 2009 German Film Prize in both the Best Feature Film and Best Director categories? ... that Netherlands Antilles women's national football team faces development challenges because football is only the sixth most popular sport in the country? ... that the Maya International Cooperative Biodiversity Group was designed in 1998 to meet the highest ethical standards in bioprospecting, but was closed down in 2001 due to accusations of biopiracy? ... that in 737, the Umayyad Caliphate and the Turgesh Khaganate fought the Battle of the Baggage?

In the news In the ongoing Spanish financial crisis, Bankia requests €19 billion in funds from the Spanish government, the largest bank bailout in the nation's history. A Dragon capsule launched (pictured) by SpaceX becomes the first commercial flight to reach the International Space Station. A suicide bombing kills more than 120 people in Sana'a, Yemen. Tomislav Nikolić is elected President of Serbia. Danilo Medina is elected President of the Dominican Republic. British singer-songwriter Robin Gibb, a member of the Bee Gees, dies at the age of 62. In ice hockey, the IIHF World Championship concludes with Russia defeating Slovakia in the final. On this day... May 26: Shavuot begins at sunset (Judaism, 2012); Independence Day in Georgia (1918); Mother's Day in Poland 946 – King Edmund I of England was murdered by a thief whom he personally attacked while celebrating St Augustine's Mass Day. 1328 – William of Ockham, an English friar who originated the methodological principle Occam's razor, secretly left Avignon under threat from Pope John XXII. 1637 – Pequot War: An allied Puritan and Mohegan force attacked a fortified Pequot village in the Connecticut Colony, killing 500. 1822 – The deadliest fire in Norwegian history took place at a church in Grue, Norway, with at least 113 deaths. 1828 – Kaspar Hauser (pictured), a foundling with suspected ties to the Royal House of Baden, first appeared in the streets of Nuremberg, Germany. 2008 – Severe flooding began in eastern and southern China that ultimately caused 148 deaths and forced the evacuation of 1.3 million people. More anniversaries: May 25 – May 26 – May 27 It is now May 26, 2012 (UTC) – Refresh this page

Today's featured picture The Red-and-yellow Barbet (Trachyphonus erythrocephalus) is a species of African barbet found in eastern Africa. The males of the species have distinctive black (spotted white), red and yellow plumage, while youngsters and females are similar, but a little more dull. The species lives in broken terrain and both nests and roosts in burrows. Omnivores, the species is generally very tame, feeding on seeds, fruit and invertebrates. Photo: Ikiwaner Recently featured: War savings stamps poster – Arnolfini Portrait – Occupation of Blagoveshchensk by the Japanese Army

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