Raise your hand if you haven't paid a financial "penalty" for late returning a book to the library or, worse yet, if you don't have a book in your private library suspiciously stamped with the hallmark of some temple of knowledge... But this case takes the cake for its delay in returning the book, 221 years , and by the author of the "crime", George Washington .
George Washington he was the first President of the United States (1789-1797) and Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army of the revolutionary forces in the American Revolutionary War (1775-1783). He was a man with a good economic situation, he rejected the allocation of 25,000 dollars a year that Congress assigned him, and he wanted to be a just ruler. So, on October 5, 1789, he "borrowed" from the New York Society Library the book «Law of Nations » (an essay on international affairs) and the twelfth volume of a 14-volume collection of the debates of the English House of Commons to soak up laws. The problem is that he forgot to return them.
According to the rules of the New York Society Library, the books had to have been returned on November 2 of that same year, but in the loan control book that date was not recorded, only in the borrower section was it stated:« the President «. The fine, of a few cents a day, updated to today's date would amount to $300,000 corresponding to the book «Law of Nations» since the other book did appear when the inventory was made.
Aware of the matter, the institution George Washington's Mount Vernon Estate &Gardens , which manages the estate of George Washington, gave a replica of the book to the New York Society Library on May 19.
According to the director of the library, Marcos Bartlett :"We are not working on the pending fines, but I would be very happy if we are able to recover the books." And this conciliatory message implies a complaint, since there are other "illustrious defaulters" such as Alexander Hamilton , the first Secretary of the Treasury, and Aaron Burr , Vice President under Thomas Jefferson.
Source:Daily News, Guardian, Portfolio Idea:Félix Casanova