Small-town celebrity birthplace of the week: Tampico, in northwestern Illinois (current population about 800). President Ronald Reagan was born there in 1911, in a second-story apartment above a bank. Tampico is on the Ronald Reagan Trail of Illinois towns and cities where he lived or frequently visited. (Thanks to Ed Bennett of Pullman, Wash.)

Ever wonder why a nickel is larger than a dime, even though it's worth less? In the early 19th century, the five-cent "half dime" ...

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