Three seldom-used U.S. coins – two of them gold pieces – bit the dust in 1889, when the U.S. Mint halted their production. The coins knocked out by this 1-2-3 punch were the gold dollar, the $3 gold piece and the nickel three-cent piece. Meanwhile, production resumed at the Carson City Mint after a four-year hiatus. The two coins minted there in 1889 – the Liberty double eagle and the Morgan silver dollar – are both rare and valuable.

In other news of 1889:

• A World’s Fair in Paris celebrated completion of the Eiffel Tower. At a height of 986 feet, the graceful iron tower was the world’s tallest structure at the time. It was built to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution.
• The Great Fire in Seattle destroyed 25 downtown blocks.
• The worst flood in U.S. history obliterated Johnstown, Pennsylvania. More than 2,000 people perished when an earthen dam broke, sending 4½ billion gallons of water cascading into Johnstown and smaller nearby communities.
• The Coca-Cola Company, then known as the Pemberton Medicine Company, was incorporated in Atlanta.
• The U.S. Department of Agriculture was established as a Cabinet-level agency.
• The first trainload of fruit left Los Angeles for the East. It carried California oranges.
• Four new states joined the Union – the most in any single year since the 13 original states formed the nation’s foundation. The new additions were North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana and Washington.

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