While it’s sometimes called “the nation’s attic” for its eclectic holdings of 154 million items, the Smithsonian Institution, the subject of today’s #stampoftheday, also finds itself in the middle of today’s most heated issues. The stamp itself, was issued on August 10, 1946 to commemorates the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Smithsonian Institution, […]

The ways that our institutions prevented Richard Nixon, an odious and out-of-control president, from fully undermining the foundations of our democracy, is the focus today’s #stampoftheday, a 3-cent stamp, issued in 1938, commemorating the ratification of the U.S. Constitution. The stamp itself was issued on June 21, 1938, the 150th anniversary of the day that

The usually amicable but currently strained relations between the US and Canada are celebrated in today’s #stampoftheday, a 13-cent stamp, issued in 1977. The stamp, which commemorates the 50th anniversary of the Peace Bridge linking Buffalo, NY and Fort Erie, Ontario, comes from the part of my late father’s collection that consisted of folders and

Today, August 6, 2020 is the 75th anniversary of the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima. It’s also the 55th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1965, which was signed on August 6, 1965. There’s no stamp commemorating the former and the stamp commemorating the latter came well after my father stopped collecting

The country’s oldest continuous seagoing service, sails onto the scene with “cool and temperate perseverance” as today’s #stampoftheday. A 3-cent stamp issued in 1945, it honors the U.S. Coast Guard, which was established on August 4, 1790. The Coast Guard came into being because the then-new US government needed money. Alexander Hamilton, who, as you

A president who presided over a famously corrupt administration often judged to be among the worst in US history, is the subject of today’s #stampoftheday, a 2-cent stamp issued in 1923 to honor President Warren G. Harding, who died unexpectedly on August 2, 1923. A well -liked politician who seems to have been best known

“Register – Vote” is the uncannily timely message from today’s #stampoftheday, a 5-cent stamp issued on August 1, 1964. I have mixed reactions to this stamp. Obviously, I agree with its basic message – register and vote. And, of course, I’m among the money who are stunned – and mobilized – by the many ways

While today’s #stampoftheday honors a decision made in 1898, it also connects directly the inflammatory tweets about fair housing made by Donald Trump earlier this week. The stamp itself, is a 5-cent airmail stamp, issued on July 31, 1948 to mark the 50th anniversary of the expansion of New York City – which consisted of

America’s first national park and its iconic geyser are pictured on today’s #stampoftheday, a 5-cent stamp, issued on July 30, 1934 that pictures Yellowstone National Parks’ Old Faithful geyser and also illustrates the many challenges of managing a major park. Although it wasn’t the first in the 10-stamp series issued in 1934 highlighting notable National