Decimal Day
On 15 February 1971, known as Decimal Day, the United Kingdom and Ireland decimalised their currencies.
Under the old currency of pounds, shillings and pence, the pound was made up of 240 pence (denoted by the letter d for Latin denarius and now referred to as "old pence"), with 12 pence in a shilling and 20 shillings (denoted by s for Latin solidus) in a pound.
The loss of value of the currency meant that the "old" penny, with the same diameter as the US half-dollar, was of relatively slight value, while the farthing, which was worth one-quarter of an old penny, had been demonetised on 1 January 1961.
United Kingdom
Background
Following the rejection by Parliament of Sir John Wrottesley's proposals to decimalise sterling in 1824 (prompted by the introduction in 1795 of the decimal French franc), little practical progress towards decimalisation was made for over a century, with the exception of the two-shilling silver florin (worth 1/10 of a pound) first issued in 1849. A double florin or four-shilling piece was a further step in that direction but failed to gain acceptance and was struck only from 1887 to 1890.
Podcasts:
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by Bread
Dismal Day
by: BreadI look into my morning mirror
And it reveals some things to me that I had not been able to see
I saw someone that I'm not sure I want to be
An empty lonely face was starin' back at me
All and all, I would have to say, hey
It's been a rather dismal day, hey
The afternoon was slow in coming
I drove myself outside the place the people that I knew would be there, there
And though they walked along pretending not to care
I knew behind my back they'd point and laugh and stare
All and all, I would have to say, hey
It's been a rather dismal day, hey
And now the evening shadow's falling
I guess it's best I lay my hopes to rest for no one's calling my name, name
I sit and wait behind a door that's never knocked on
I live in silence like my phone that's never talked on
All and all, I would have to say, hey
It's been a rather dismal day, hey
All and all, I would have to say, hey
It's been a rather dismal day, hey
Hey hey hey hey hey
All and all, I would have to say, hey
It's been a rather dismal day, hey
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