On April 30, 1957, the Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee opened its first meeting. The committee receives tens of thousands of stamp proposals every year and passes on their recommendations to the US Postmaster General who makes the final decision.
On or around April 29, 1895, the US Post Office began issuing postage stamps with watermarks. The practice was introduced by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP) and only lasted a little over 20 years.
On April 22, 1919, the Ohio Society for Crippled Children was founded. This later grew to become Easterseals, the nation’s largest nonprofit healthcare organization, which serves more than 1.5 million people every year.
On April 3, 1991, the USPS issued its first stamp to printed outside the US. News of the stamp’s printing outside of America set off a firestorm of criticism and debate that made it all the way to Congress.
On March 22, 1917, the US Post Office rushed to issue two new stamps to meet an urgent need. These high-value stamps were needed quickly for use on packages going to Europe.
Horticulturalist Liberty Hyde Bailey was born on March 15, 1858, in South Haven, Michigan. The gardening and horticulture stamp issued for Bailey’s centennial birthday also marked a significant US postal first!
On March 3, 1879, an Act of Congress authorized the use of Postage Due stamps. These stamps were unique, since they were the first US stamps that didn’t prepay for the delivery of mail. Instead, they denoted the amount of postage to be collected by the person receiving the mail because it was insufficiently prepaid.
On March 1, 1972, the USPS issued the first stamp in a new series honoring the 100th anniversary of the world’s first national park. Exactly 100 years earlier, Congress established Yellowstone as a national park to protect its unusual features and resources.
On February 28, 1973, the USPS issued the first of seven stamps in its new American Arts Series. The stamps in the series honored artists from several different genres, including painting, music writing, and filmmaking.