Fort Knox (Two Minutes to Read)

When I thought about Fort Knox (1937), in the past I pretty much thought about it being a mint that holds our gold for the international gold standard. The money held there is collateral for doing business with other countries along with protection for U.S. citizens who buy federal securities. 
 
The fact is Fort Knox was a huge military facility (170 sq. miles). There are all kinds of military divisions that reside there including the Army’s Armor Command. The Army and Marines trained on the use of armored vehicles like tanks. I can’t go into all the military installations on their campus as it would take too long but the bottom line is having a Mint located on such a huge military site in the middle of nowhere made perfect sense. 

Some interesting facts about Fort Knox:   

• The 1792 law that established the Mint made coin defacement,
  counterfeiting, and embezzlement by Mint employees punishable by
  death.
• The Depository is a top secret facility. No visitors are permitted. 
• They hold 147.3 million ounces of gold which equates to $257 billion dollars at current prices.    
• In  the past, the Depository has stored the Declaration of Independence, Magna Carta, The U.S. Constitution, The Articles of Confederation, Lincoln's Gettysburg address, and Lincoln's second inaugural address. 
•  The only gold removed has been very small quantities used to test the purity of gold during regularly scheduled audits. Except for these samples, no gold has been transferred to or from the Depository for many years. 
•  Past Mints have included Denver, CO; Dahlonega, GA; Charlotte, NC; New Orleans, LA; and Carson City, NV. 
• Sacagawea (famous Indian guide), Susan B. Anthony, and Helen Keller are the only women honored on a circulating coin. 
• The first coin to feature an African-American was the Booker T. Washington Memorial Half Dollar. 
• From 1799 to 1873, the Mint was an independent agency reporting directly to
  the President. 
• The United States has two mottos that appear on each circulating coin, "In God We Trust" and "E Pluribus Unum." The Latin translation is roughly “Out of many, we are one.” 

Before creation of a national Mint, "currency" included foreign and colonial currency, livestock, produce, and Wampum (Indian currency). 

An Act of Congress approved on April 11, 1864, authorized the use of “In God We Trust.” The motto was omitted from coins issued in 1907 causing a firestorm of public criticism. As a result, legislation passed  in May 1908 made "In God We Trust" mandatory on all coins. 
 
Legislation approved July 11, 1955, made the appearance of "In God We Trust" mandatory on all coins and paper currency of the United States. By Act of July 30, 1956, "In God We Trust" became the national motto of the United States. 

Several  years ago the appearance of "In God We Trust" on our money was challenged in the federal courts. The challenge was rejected by the lower federal courts and the Supreme Court of the United States declined to review the case.

Hopefully  you found this interesting. Something triggered my thoughts in the direction of Fort Knox and I realized that although I knew of it I didn't know about it.  That's what’s great about being a knowledge seeker…now I know and so do you.