US #4624 – Johnson was the 35th honoree in the Black Heritage Series.
Businessman and publisher John Harold Johnson was born on January 19, 1918 in Arkansas City, Arkansas.
As a child, Johnson attended a segregated and overcrowded elementary school. There was no high school for African Americans, but he enjoyed school so much, he repeated the eighth grade rather than end his education.
US #3692 – Grant was the eighth honoree in the Legends of Hollywood Series. Click the image to order.
Actor Archibald Alexander Leach (aka Cary Grant) was born on January 18, 1904, in Horfield, Bristol, United Kingdom.
Although his speech and demeanor suggested something quite different, Grant came from a blue-collar working-class family. Life was not always easy for the star. When he was nine years old, he came home from school one day to find his mother gone. Told she was visiting a seaside resort, the truth was that she was in a mental institution, and Cary would not see her again until his late 20s.
US #1 features a Franklin portrait that had previously been used on banknotes.
Benjamin Franklin was born on January 17, 1706, in Boston, Massachusetts Bay Colony.
Franklin was the son of a soap and candle maker. As a youth, he learned these trades but found them unsatisfactory. So he became an apprentice to his brother James, a printer, at the age of 12. It was in this apprenticeship that Franklin started what he considered his primary, lifelong occupation – printing.
US #1099 was issued for the 300th anniversary of the “Flushing Remonstrance.”
On January 16, 1786, Virginia enacted Thomas Jefferson’s Statute for Religious Freedom.
Since the first British settlers arrived in Virginia in 1607, the official church of the colony had been the Church of England. Citizens were required to attend the church’s services and pay taxes to support the ministers.
US #1005 was issued on this day in 1952.
On January 15, 1902, one of the first clubs to resemble the 4-H club was founded in Ohio.
In the late 1800s, it wasn’t uncommon for individuals and groups to create clubs for children to help them appreciate farming and nature. While it’s unclear who was the first to create such a group, 4-H Club recognizes A.B. Graham as one of the early founders.
US #2052 was issued for the 200th anniversary of the Treaty of Paris. Click the image to order.
On January 14, 1784, the Confederation Congress ratified the Treaty of Paris, officially ending the American Revolutionary War.
In 1782, it became apparent to the British that the Colonies would soon win their independence. Negotiations began in Paris that April. John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and John Jay represented the United States and Davis Hartley, a member of the parliament, spoke on behalf of King George III.
