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" coin had half the silver of a dime, but was too small for many people to handle easily. So in 1866, the U.S. Mint increased the five-cent piece to its present size, changing its metal to a nickel alloy.
Before that, one-cent coins, also made from a nickel alloy, were known as "nickels."
The School of Theater and Film at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln is named for a celebrity not primarily known for his work in theater or film. That famous fellow is a member of the:
A) Country Music Hall of Fame
B) Television Hall of Fame
C) College Football Hall of Fame
D) Aviation Hall of Fame
Previous answer: Louisiana native Jenny Craig started her successful weight-loss-program company in Australia, homeland of her husband, Sidney Craig.
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