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 …
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Sometime in the mid-1960s, my mother and I drove over the then-new Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, which opened on November 21, 1964. As we crossed over "the Narrows," which separate Brooklyn from Staten Island, I vaguely recall my mother telling me that the crossing was the world's longest suspension bridge, which impressed me. And as we descended into …
“Roshi’s Laundromat Blues,” the last short story I wrote in the spring of 1980, had a simple premise. What if you were at a laundromat, waiting for your clothes to finish the wash cycle, when you heard that John F. Kennedy had been shot and was dead? The idea was at this emotional moment, Roshi, which …
As the nation lurches towards a presidential transition, it seems oddly appropriate that today's #stampoftheday pictures a one-term, 19th century president, who, one of his obituaries contended, "possessed...none of the attributes of greatness." The president in question is Franklin Pierce, who was born on November 23, 1804 and served for one term, from 1853 to 1857. …
Another day, another obscure 19th century president. But, thankfully, Zachary Taylor, who may have died from eating too many cherries, was born on November 24, 1784 (thankfully, because I couldn't find another stamp in my late father's collection that is plausibly connected to today). Taylor, who served for only 16 months before unexpectedly dying in …
Seemingly odd juxtapositions of wealth and poverty as well as power and powerlessness are offered by the two stamps that collectively are today's #stampoftheday. While there is much truth to those contrasts, it also turns out that the stamps, which also are separated by more than three decades, are more connected than they appear. On the …
Here's a pop quiz for a rainy Thanksgiving morning: how many Catholics have received a major-party nomination for president? The question is inspired by the subject of today's #stampoftheday, a 1945 stamp, issued on November 26, 1945, honoring Al Smith, the "happy warrior" who was the Democratic nominee in 1928 when Herbert Hoover won the presidency …
"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 …
In 1969, my father took me to Shea Stadium to see the third (and final) playoff game between my beloved New York Mets and the Atlanta Braves. At some point in the game, the Braves, who were losing, brought in Cecil Upshaw, a forgettable relief pitcher with an unforgettable name. Although Upshaw didn't give up …