Why Do We Call the 10-Cent Coin a Dime?
The dime was the first coin minted by the U.S. government, beginning with the first run in 1792. The first dimes even predated the construction of the U.S. Mint building -- they were made in the basement of a Philadelphia saw maker.
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Reason for the Name
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The first "dimes" were actually called "dismes," pronounced the same way we pronounce "dime." The word comes from a French term for dividing a unit of money into tenths, and originally comes from the Latin word "decimus," meaning "one-tenth."
The Dime Over Time
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From 1792 until 1946, various versions of Lady Liberty appeared on the dime. After the death of President Franklin Roosevelt in 1945, his likeness appeared on the dime in the next year. As of 2010, Roosevelt's image has appeared on dimes every year since 1946.
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Why President Roosevelt?
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Roosevelt contracted polio at the age of 39, and he was a lifelong supporter of the March of Dimes, which raised money to find a cure for the disease. Today, there is a vaccine for polio. Roosevelt was in office for 12 years and was elected four times -- more than any other president. Because he was so beloved, many people wrote in to the U.S. Department of the Treasury asking for a coin to bear his image. The dime was a natural choice because of the president's connection to the March of Dimes.
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References
- Photo Credit roosevelt dime image by Jon Yuschock from Fotolia.com
