May 10, 1893: tomatoes are officially vegetables

Technically speaking, tomatoes are fruits. On this day in 1893, however, the Supreme Court ruled unanimously that they should be considered vegetables for purposes of taxation.

The case, Nix v. Hedden, stemmed from a debate over whether a tomato importer should have to pay a 10% tariff on vegetables. Botanically speaking, tomatoes are fruits, because they contain the seeds of the tomato plant.

The justices were uninterested in the dictionary definition of a tomato, however, and ruled based on general understanding of tomatoes as vegetables – in large part because they aren’t served as a dessert. The importer was ordered to pay the tax.

Of course, this sort of hair-splitting has occurred many times in the history of our republic – and will continue to do so, so long as words take on connotations different from their definitions.