The most expensive comma in U.S. history: how fruit importers cashed in

Did you know a single misplaced comma once cost America millions — all over some tropical fruit?

Back in 1872, the U.S. was fine-tuning a new tariff act. Lawmakers wanted to exempt "fruit plants"—but only the tropical and semi-tropical kind, and only for propagation or cultivation. The idea was simple: help farmers, not fruit merchants.

But then, disaster struck in the form of a sneaky little comma. A copyist nudged it one word to the left. Instead of exempting "fruit plants," the printed law now exempted "fruit, plants tropical and semi-tropical…" 00:00/02:20 10

Fruit importers pounced! Suddenly, all bananas, pineapples, and other delicious cargo could legally glide into America, duty-free—no hidden fees, just hidden punctuation. The Treasury Department had no choice but to agree: