# 3186g - 1999 33c Celebrate the Century - 1940s: Jitterbug Sweeps Nation

US #3186g
1999 Jitterbug Sweeps Nation – Celebrate the Century (1940s)

• Part of the fifth sheet in the Celebrate the Century stamp series issued from 1998-2000
• Honors the famous dance known as the jitterbug
• Includes text on the back with historical details

Stamp Category: Commemorative
Series: Celebrate the Century
Value: 32¢ First Class Mail Rate
First Day of Issue: February 18, 1999
First Day City: Dobbins Air Force Base, Georgia
Quantity Issued: 188,000,000
Printed by: Ashton Potter (USA) Ltd.
Printing Method: Offset, Intaglio
Format: Panes of 15
Perforations: 11.5
Tagging: Block Tagging

Why the stamp was issued: To commemorate the jitterbug, its widespread popularity among Americans from all different backgrounds, and its influence on dance going forward.

About the stamp design: Pictures a painting by Howard Koslow of a young couple dancing in front of a jukebox. Includes the following text on the back: “Bridging the eras of swing and rock ‘n’ roll, the jitterbug was a fast-paced dance performed to live music played by bands, and to recorded music played on jukeboxes. It was popular with GIs, teenagers, and anyone else able to keep the beat.”

First Day City: The First Day of Issue Ceremony was held at the Dobbins Air Force Base Fuel Cell Hangar in Georgia.

About the Celebrate the Century series: The USPS launched the Celebrate the Century series in 1998 to mark the end of the 20th century and herald the arrival of the 21st. The series includes 10 sheets of 15 stamps (150 in total), with each honoring important moments from a different decade (1900s, 10s, 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s). At the time of completion, it was the longest and most ambitious commemorative stamp series in US history.

History the stamp represents: In 1928, the Lindy hop became a tremendously popular dance in the United States. Named in recognition of Charles Lindbergh’s solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean one year earlier, it was characterized by acrobatic swings and powerful lifts. In the 1930s and 1940s, the Lindy gained fame and became known as the jitterbug.

Films, newsreels, radio, records, movie stars, as well as exuberant teenagers all contributed to the spread of the jitterbug. Members of the US military also helped make this dance so wildly popular worldwide.

As big band “swing” music became faster and louder, the jitterbug was taken to dramatic levels. A typical jitterbug “shag” session would involve women being spun and tossed in the air like limp ragdolls. A newspaper article of the time read, “There are no half-way measures with the true swing addicts. They give all they’ve got and let themselves go to the limit. Most of them invent new steps as they go along, with the music providing the inspiration.” Another article referred to a dance session as “wild hysteria.”

By the 1960s, the jitterbug had faded. In the 1970s, the dance was brought back in a version called the hustle. Jitterbug-style dancing and “swing” music became popular again in the late 1990s.