Today In - 'Useless Info'

The US federal income tax was first enacted in 1862 to support the Union's Civil War effort. It was eliminated in 1872, revived in 1894 then declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court the following year. In 1913, the 16th Amendment to the Constitution made the income tax a permanent fixture in the US tax system.

The first 1040 form was 4 pages long -- including instructions. Today, the instructions ALONE are 92 pages.

During World War I, the highest rate of income tax was 77 percent. Taxes were used to help finance the war.