WASHINGTON (TNND) — The United States Treasury minted
its final production of pennies on Wednesday at the U.S. Mint
in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (above).

"The penny was first authorized by the Coinage Act of 1792;
however, ongoing increases in production costs and the
evolution in consumer habits and technology have made its
production financially untenable," according to a statement
from the U.S. Department of the Treasury.

The last two pennies minted were stamped with a special
omega and will not be circulated. Instead, the government
intends to auction the pennies off.

In February, President Donald Trump publicly called to halt
penny production, citing the fact that pennies cost more
money than they are worth.

The half-cent coin was the last coin to be discontinued in
1857. 

On July 30, 2003, the last of 21,529,464 Volkswagen Beetles
built since World War II rolled off the production line at
Volkswagen’s plant in Puebla, Mexico.

Swimmers assist Apollo 17 astronauts Eugene A. Cernan,
left, Ronald E. Evans, and Harrison H. “Jack” Schmitt in
the life raft. (NASA Image)

The Apollo Lunar-Landing program came to an
end on December 19, 1972, when the last three
astronauts to travel to the moon splashed
down safely in the  Pacific Ocean.

Apollo 17 had lifted off from Cape Canaveral,
Florida 10 days before.

        

         
         
       

On April 29, 2004, the last Oldsmobile came off the assembly
line at the Lansing Car Assembly plant in Michigan, signaling
the end of the 106-year-old automotive brand, America’s oldest.

Ransom Eli Olds (June 3, 1864 – August 26, 1950)

On December 3, 1979, the last Pacer rolled off the assembly line
at the American Motors Corporation (AMC) factory in Kenosha, Wisconsin. When the car first came on the market in 1975, it was
a sensation, hailed as the car of the future. “When you buy any
other car,” ads said, “all you end up with is today’s car. When
you get a Pacer, you get a piece of tomorrow.” By 1979, however,
sales had faded considerably.