Date: Fri, 24 Mar 1995 13:22:05 -0600

From: Tom Klingler klingler[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]MAILHOST.TCS.TULANE.EDU

Subject: picayune



I decided to call the New Orleans Times-Picayune to find out why they

adopted such an odd name. The answer is as follows: When the paper began

publishing in 1837, it sold for six and a quarter cents, approximately the

value of an old Spanish coin which had been known as a picayune. In the

years that followed, only the name remained the same--the paper now sells

for a whopping fifty cents.



Tom Klingler

Tom Klingler

Assistant Professor

Department of French and Italian

Tulane University

New Orleans, LA 70118

(504) 865-5115 (office)

(504) 865-8020

Email: klingler[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]mailhost.tcs.tulane.edu