EUROPA Stamps
On September 15, 1956, six nations came together to issue the first EUROPA stamps, a tradition that continues to this day.
This Day in History
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Birth of Patsy Cline
Singer Patsy Cline was born Virginia Patterson Hensley on September 8, 1932, in Winchester, Virginia. When she was 13, she was hospitalized for a throat infection and rheumatic fever, which she said gave her a “booming voice like Kate Smith.”
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Birth of Edgar Lee Masters
Poet Edgar Lee Masters was born on August 23, 1868, in Garnett, Kansas
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Playing Card Stamps
On August 1, 1894, a tax was imposed on playing cards as part of the Wilson Bill.
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Opening of the Arc de Triomphe
arc during WWII.
On July 29, 1836, the Arc de Triomphe de l’Étoile (Triumphal Arch of the Star) officially opened to the public. Before the plans were made for the Arc de Triomphe, there was a proposal for a different structure in that location. Architect Charles Ribart wanted to build a three-level elephant-shaped building with a spiral staircase and furniture that folded into the walls. However, the French government denied his request.
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First Flight Across the English Channel
On July 25, 1909, Louis Blériot became the first person to fly across the English Channel. Born in Cambrai, France, on July 1, 1872, Blériot was the first of five children. At the age of 10, he attended the Institute of Notre Dame in Cambrai, where he often won prizes for his engineering drawings.
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Death of Glenn Curtiss
Aviation pioneer Glenn Curtiss died on July 23, 1930, in Buffalo, New York. Glenn Hammond Curtiss was born on May 21, 1878, in Hammondsport, New York. He became interested in bicycles as a young man and was a champion racer, riding bikes he had designed and built.
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Happy Birthday, Nelson Mandela!
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was born on July 18, 1918, in Mvezo, Cape Province, South Africa. The son of a local chief, Mandela spent much of his childhood herding cattle and was enrolled in a local Methodist school at the age of seven. He went on to attend a Methodist high school and college, where he enjoyed playing sports, particularly long-distance running and boxing.
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China Resistance Stamp
On July 7, 1942, the US issued its first stamp with foreign characters as part of the design. US #906 was issued to commemorate the fifth anniversary of China’s resistance against the Japanese Empire in the early days of World War II. The 5¢ denomination would have paid for a first-class letter to China.
