Olympics

1984 20¢ Jim Thorpe
May 28, 1888

Happy Birthday Jim Thorpe 

Jim Thorpe said he was born on May 28, 1888, in Indian Territory. A world renowned athlete, he helped popularize football in the United States and was the first athlete to win both the decathlon and the pentathlon at the 1912 Olympics.

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1990 25¢ Olympians: Eddie Eagan
April 26, 1897

Birth of Olympian Eddie Eagan

Edward Patrick Francis Eagan was born on April 26, 1897, in Denver, Colorado.  He’s the only person in Olympic history to win gold medals in both Summer and Winter sports.

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1979 10¢ Summer Olympic Games
March 11, 1980

Olympic Stamps Removed from Sale

On March 11, 1980, the USPS removed all the stamps it had issued for the upcoming Summer Olympics in Moscow from sale as part of an American boycott of the games.  According the USPS, this was the first time they removed stamps from sale for political reasons since the Civil War.

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1932 2¢ Third Olympic Winter Games
January 25, 1932

First U.S. Olympic Stamp 

On January 25, 1932, the US Post Office Department issued its first stamp honoring the Olympic Games.  Those games were the first to be held in the US.

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1990 25¢ Olympians: Ray Ewry
October 14, 1873

Birth of Olympian Ray Ewry

Raymond “Ray” Clarence Ewry was born on October 14, 1873, in Lafayette, Indiana.  An eight-time gold medal winner, Ewry was one of the most successful Olympians of all time.

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1972 6¢ 20th Summer Olympic Games
August 26, 1972

Opening of the 1972 Summer Olympics

On August 26, 1972, the Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad, opened in Munich, West Germany.  The first games held in Germany since 1936, they were overshadowed by the “Munich Massacre.”

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1932 3¢ 10th Summer Olympic Games: Runner at Starting Mark
July 30, 1932

Opening of the 1932 Summer Olympics 

On July 30, 1932, the Games of the X Olympiad opened in Los Angeles, California. The games’s opening ceremonies were the largest up to that time, breaking the previous attendance record by 25,000.

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1983 13¢ Los Angeles Summer Olympics
July 28, 1984

1984 Summer Olympics

On July 28, 1984, the Summer Olympic Games opened in Los Angeles, California. They were the first games to be opened by a sitting US president, which was one of many highlights…

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1991 29¢ Flag with Olympic Rings
July 25, 1992

Opening of 1992 Summer Olympics

On July 25, 1992, the opening ceremonies marked the start of the Games of the XXV Olympiad in Barcelona, Spain. These games included many firsts, lasts, and records…

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