We put modern engineering to the test against a stack of pennies using a 60,000 psi waterjet and a hydraulic press. First, we attempted to cut the metal pennies with just water, then with water mixed ...

When copper is exposed to oxygen, it forms molecules called copper oxide that make pennies look dirty. Pouring vinegar over the pennies helps break up this copper oxide and expose the pure copper ...

Is the U.S. penny made of copper? The Coinage Act of 1792 set the stage for the original penny: large, pure copper pieces. As costs rose, the penny shrank, and its composition shifted.

What year did pennies stop being copper? The penny was first made by the U.S. Mint in 1792, according to the Mint's website . It was larger and made of pure copper.

When they were originally introduced in 1793, pennies were made of pure copper, but their composition has changed over time to adapt to the economic climate. Today, pennies are comprised of a ...

The U.S. Mint initially made pennies out of pure copper, but starting in 1943 they were manufactured out of zinc-covered steel because copper was needed during World War II.

The United States Mint initially made pennies out of pure copper. But because copper was essential to the war effort in World War II, the coins were made out of zinc-coated steel for a year, in 1943.

The penny has been clinging to life since 1792, when the first pure copper one-cent pieces started circulating. In 1909, it got a facelift, replacing the Indian-head cent with Lincoln’s profile ...