1817
In 1817, Mississippi was admitted to the Union as the 20th state and the Cumberland Road now reached to the Ohio River. Construction of the Erie Canal began and Baltimore lit its streets with gas lamps. Harvard Law School and the University of Michigan were founded this year.
In England, the Coercion Acts are passed to halt demands for parliamentary reform. San Martin crossed the Andes and defeated the Spanish at the Battle of ChacabucoThe element selenium is discovered and Coleridge published his Biographia Literaria.
The mint struck proof coins for the first time this year, although the national collection does not have a proof example. This is a fascinating year for visible differences on cents, with 15 stars on the obverse of one variety (N-16), a lump that develops on Liberty's head - often called a mouse (N-3), and some of the wildest date digit placement in the series. A total of 3,948,400 cents were struck and delivered this year and it is likely all were dated 1817. Seventeen different varieties are known for the cents of 1817 (N-1 through N-17). A number of uncirculated cents dated 1817, varieties N-13 and N-14, are available to collectors, thanks to the Randall hoard.
The nicest coins for this year in the collection are N-6 (1) and N-16 (2).