How Much Did the Interstate Highway System Cost to Build – History

Ballpark Estimate: $114 billion (1956-1991 dollars); $500 billion (2008 dollars) Holding the distinction of being the largest in the world, the Interstate Highway System is a coast to coast network of state-owned roads. It is a system of high-speed highways that serves every major city in the United States for the transportation of products and goods, personal…

How Much Did the Korean War Cost the United States (in Money & Casualties) – History

Ballpark Estimate: $67 Billion (1953 dollars); $535 billion (2008 dollars) It was December 1945. With the surrender of Japan some four months earlier World War II was finally over and, as with all wars, the victors assembled to negotiate the rules for divvying up their winnings. One such agreement, reached at the Moscow Conference of Foreign Ministers,…

Gold Prices from 1900

Ballpark Estimate: $20.67 per ounce Over 100 years ago, the price of gold sat at a relatively stable price of $20.67 per ounce on the open market. On November 15, 2007, the price for an ounce of gold was $793.30. It’s important to compare apples with apples, so it’s necessary to know that the purchasing power…

How Much Did the American Civil War Cost – Casualties

Ballpark Estimate: $7 Billion (1860 dollars); $75 Billion (2008 dollars) In historical terms, the American Civil War was undoubtedly the most significant single event in the formation of a young, divided, and struggling nation. And like all wars there was a cost both in economic losses and in human suffering. Unlike other wars, however, it was particularly…

How Much Did the Lincoln Tunnel Cost to Build

Ballpark Estimate: $240 Million (1957 dollars); $1.9 Billion (2007 dollars) Originally called the Midtown Hudson Tunnel, the Lincoln Tunnel is actually the world’s first three-tube underwater vehicular tunnel system. The three so-called “tubes” are known as the North, Center, and South Tunnels, each 21.5 feet wide and designed with two traffic lanes apiece. The tunnels cross the…