Document text
CLEAR Temp: 48 °F Wind: SSW at 5 mph Wednesday, February 5, 2003 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend January 31, 2003 Since you asked An early dollar had eight bits I’ve often heard the phrase, "two bits," in reference to 25 cents. Where did this come from? What does it mean and how did it originate? — Tom C., Eagle Point Tom, we think so much of your question that we’re going to give you a four-bit answer. Our sleuths deep in the bowels of the Since You Asked Research Department have discovered that the word comes from colonial days. In that era, people used coins from all over the world, with the most popular being the Spanish milled dollar. When the United States adopted its own currency, it first chose the Spanish milled dollar, which later became the model for our silver dollar. The Spanish milled dollars were designed to be cut into eight equal parts, or bits. One bit would be equal to one-eighth of a dollar and — you probably see where we’re going by now — two bits would be equal to a quarter of a dollar. So when the quarter was created, its Spanish origins were not entirely left behind. Send questions to "Since You Asked," Mail Tribune Newsroom, P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501; by fax to 541-776-4376; or by e-mail to [email protected] Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright 1997-2002 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy webmaster feedback A D V E R T I S E R S