US #1387-90 were issued to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the museum’s opening.
On April 6, 1869, the American Museum of Natural History is established in New York City.
The museum was largely the dream of naturalist Dr. Albert S. Bickmore. For several years, Bickmore lobbied extensively for the creation of a natural history museum in New York.
US #1559 – Ludington was honored as part of the Contributors to the Cause Bicentennial Series.
Revolutionary heroine Sybil Ludington was born on April 5, 1761 in Kent, New York.
The oldest of 12 children, Sybil was the daughter of Colonel Henry Ludington, the leader of the local militia in Patterson, New York. During the Revolutionary War, Sybil wanted to join the militia because she didn’t like being ruled by Great Britain.
US #617
Washington at Cambridge
On April 4, 1925, the US Post Office issued the first three stamps in a multi-year series honoring important events and people from the American Revolution. The stamps were issued for the sesquicentennial (150th) anniversary of the Revolution.
US #617 pictures General George Washington leading colonial forces at Cambridge Common on July 2, 1775. This was two-and-a-half months after the battles at Lexington and Concord. A driving factor for this scene’s inclusion in the set was due to the famed “Washington Elm.” According to legend, Washington stood under the elm tree as he took command of the Continental Army. Over the years, the tree was badly damaged and was accidentally knocked over during repair attempts in 1923. Continue reading
US #2935 was issued on Luce’s 100th birthday.
Magazine magnate Henry Robinson Luce was born on April 3, 1898, in Tengchow, Shandong, China.
Luce spent much of his childhood in China where his parents were Presbyterian missionaries. He attended Chinese and English boarding schools until he was 15, at which point he was sent to the Hotchkiss School in Connecticut.
US #3914 from the Art of Disney series.
Danish author Hans Christian Andersen was born on April 2, 1805, in Odense, Funen, Kingdom of Denmark-Norway.
Andersen was an only child whose father claimed to have come from nobility, though there is no evidence of this. His father instilled in Andersen an appreciation for literature from an early age, in particular by reading him Arabian Nights.
U.S. #2981c from the WWII 1945: Victory at Last sheet.
On April 1, 1945, the Battle of Okinawa began.
By the spring of 1945, the Allies’ successful island-hopping campaign had brought them to the Ryukyu Islands, about 350 miles from Japan. Air bases on the islands, including Okinawa, could be used in the planned attack on the mainland.
