A bear so famous that he needed his own Zip Code to handle all his fan mail lurks behind the scenes of today' #stampoftheday, a 4-cent stamp honoring Forest Conservation that was issued on October 26, 1958. It was released in conjunction with the American Forestry Association's annual meeting. It also marked the 100th anniversary …
Topic: Culture & Society
Exploring Americana artifacts and other obscure areas of US history
Is the man driving the truck in today's #stampoftheday a "doodah man" who told people "you've got to play your hand?" Or is he up in Buffalo thinking he's "got to mellow slow?" Or is he just "a goin' home back where [he] belongs?" Quite likely it's none of those things since these lyrics from Truckin', the beloved …
Very few stamps were issued during first years of World War II and most that were issued related directly to the war and the war effort. But one of the handful that were issued was today's #stampoftheday, a 3-cent stamp issued on October 31, 1944 honoring the 50th anniversary of motion pictures. (The event commemorated …
Some classic American humor from the 1920s and early 30s is featured in today's #stampoftheday, which aims to provide a temporary respite for those of us who've had an exhausting night, a tension-filled day, and an unsettled but hopeful evening. The humor comes courtesy of Will Rogers, a famed stage and film actor, humorist, newspaper …
Sometimes a fish is more than a fish. Consider, for example, what we can learn from the King Salmon featured on today's #stampoftheday. A 3-cent stamp issued on November 9, 1956, it was the third in a what turned out to be a 22-year series emphasizing the importance of wildlife conservation. Viewed from the lens …
"Everyone," Daniel Patrick Moynihan famously s said, "is entitled to his own opinion." "But, he added, "they are not entitled to their own facts." Moynihan's words are particularly appropriate in the current fraught moment when, in my opinion, the current President of the United States and his supporters refuse to acknowledge basic facts about the horrific pandemic …
For reasons I can't really explain, I really like the image of large propeller plane that's on today's #stampoftheday, a 6-cent airmail stamp issued on November 18, 1949. The stamp depicts a DC-4, America's first large four-engine plane and one that had both significant military and commercial uses in the 1940s and early 1950s. The plane …
Every once in a while, the #stampoftheday marks something odd. Today is one of those days, as the #stampoftheday is a 3-cent stamp, issued on November 20, 1948, that commemorated the 100th anniversary of the American Turners Society. Until I saw the stamp, I had never heard of the American Turners Society. And unlike some organizations …
"Never let the truth get in the way of a good story ," is a saying falsely attributed to Mark Twain that I've often jokingly quoted in my work as a reporter and editor. The advice Twain didn't offer came to mind as I considered what to write about today's #stampoftheday, a 1-cent stamp issued in …