Table of contents:
- Antiquity Lottery and the Great Wall of China
- Medieval Europe builds up cities and replenishes the treasury
- The Lottery in American History and the Ban on Draws
- "Lottery" income in imperial Russia
Video: How did the first lotteries appear, why they were popular in ancient Rome and fell out of favor with Catherine II
2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55
Excitement in human nature. Otherwise, it would be difficult to explain why lotteries, having appeared in ancient times, still exist today, bringing fabulous income to their creators. As time went on, lotteries developed, and various curiosities often happened in this field. So, due to errors in the calculations of the organizers, the Russian empress somehow had to pay extra government money to the fund to pay off winning obligations.
Antiquity Lottery and the Great Wall of China
The ancient lottery first appeared almost simultaneously in China and Rome. The first mentions of the game Keno, strongly reminiscent of today's lottery, date back to the era of the Chinese Han Dynasty (about 200 BC). The proceeds from the game were directed to the development and construction of the country. A striking example of this is the creation of a defensive structure known to the world as the "Great Wall of China".
Their forms of passion also developed in the society of the ancient Romans. Julius Caesar is considered the founder of the public lottery. Fundraising through draws was organized for the implementation of municipal projects. With the money raised from ticket sales, roads were repaired, buildings and bridges were erected. On holidays, free lotteries with cash prizes were organized for the poor.
Medieval Europe builds up cities and replenishes the treasury
From the 15th century on, lottery drawings began to spread throughout Europe. The first mentions are associated with an event organized in Belgium on the anniversary of the death of the Florentine artist Jan Van Eyck. Everyone who wished to buy tickets raffled off monetary rewards among themselves, and the money from the lottery went to help the poor.
In the future, all kinds of draws in Belgium were held regularly, thanks to which almshouses, chapels, water canals and ports were built.
In the middle of the 16th century, the prize lottery was also organized by the English queen Elizabeth, who raffled tapestries, money and gold bars among her subjects. This initiative turned out to be very successful and went on a wide scale. More than 40 thousand tickets were sold, the proceeds were spent on the restoration of ports and important public needs. Since that time, the state lottery has been held regularly in England. For two hundred years, "lottery" money provided the construction of the London Aqueduct, the British Museum and many other important architectural sites.
The Lottery in American History and the Ban on Draws
The lottery is directly related to the history of the United States. In many ways, the formation of this country depended on the successful organization of the draws. It all started with the emergence of British colonies in the New World. After the unsuccessful attempts of the English Queen Elizabeth I to settle America, James I decided to attract private capital for this. For several years in a row, the lottery has been collecting huge funds in funds, thanks to which Jamestown, the first English city on the North American continent, was built.
After this success, the lotteries determined the most important undertakings: the construction of settlements, bridges, roads, churches, hospitals, schools, universities. The proceeds from the sale of lottery tickets were also used to finance the army, social and cultural programs. For 250 years, several hundred important objects were built in all states that existed at that time. During the Franco-English conflicts of the 17-18 centuries. in North America, the colonies used "lottery" money to build fortifications and arm the military. Benjamin Franklin used rallies to buy guns used in the defense of Philadelphia. George Washington launched a lottery to raise funds for the construction of a road to the popular Hot Springs resort today through the Allegheny Mountains. And the Continental Congress during the Revolutionary War held lottery draws to support the army.
Well, the most ardent adherent of lotteries among US presidents is Thomas Jefferson, who tried to use the lottery to pay off debts. In the 19th century, the proceeds from drawings took a defining place in non-state financing. A huge number of private lotteries functioned in the United States, and it was impossible to trace the honesty of their conduct. Pranking has increasingly come down to scams and fraud. For this reason, in 1890, President Benjamin Garrison, with the backing of Congress, banned the printing and sale of lottery tickets.
"Lottery" income in imperial Russia
The lottery came to the Russian Empire during the time of Peter I. He established win-win lotteries for clothes, when children were selected from the assembled crowd, pulling tickets with prizes from a bag. In most cases, people won useful things in everyday life.
Lotteries were also held during the reign of Catherine II, prizes in which were the valuable items confiscated from debtors. Unusual lotteries, according to historian Alexander Brinker, were conducted by Potemkin. At special receptions, the count played many prizes among the noble ladies, but the most valuable went to the lady he liked. The first documented evidence of the Russian lottery is the tsar's decree of the empress in 1764 on the holding of the first state drawing.
Lured by the large income of the organizers of private lotteries, Catherine decided to monopolize the draws and use the proceeds to replenish the state treasury. Despite the empress's optimistic intentions, the first lottery turned out to be unprofitable. Due to errors in the calculations of the organizers, the state also had to pay extra government money to the fund to pay off winning obligations. Since then, Catherine no longer arranged such rallies.
In 1892, the government initiated a lottery, intending to help the population affected by crop failure. The event raised a fabulous sum for that time - more than 9 million rubles. And in the early years of the First World War, the state lottery accumulated funds to help the injured and wounded.
There were lotteries in the USSR as well. And sometimes very unexpected facts were associated with them. For example, the most unexpected prizes of the first Soviet lotteries.
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