October 2019

Opening of the Erie Canal

US #1325 was issued on the 150th anniversary of the canal’s groundbreaking in Rome, New York.  Click the image to order.

On October 26, 1825, the Erie Canal opened, offering a quicker shipping route through New York’s waterways.

In the early 1800s, sending goods west from New York City across the state was expensive and took a lot of time.  There were no railroads yet and it took two weeks to travel by stagecoach.  Several New York legislators proposed the idea of building a canal across the state, and they received tremendous support from Governor DeWitt Clinton.

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Birth of Richard Byrd

US #2388 was issued one month before Byrd’s 100th birthday. Click the image to order.

Richard Evelyn Byrd was born on October 25, 1888, in Winchester, Virginia.

Byrd was descended from one of the first families of Virginia – among his ancestors were John Rolfe and Pocahontas.  Byrd attended the Virginia Military Institute and the University of Virginia before enrolling in the US Naval Academy.

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Birth of Moss Hart

US #3882 was issued for Hart’s 100th birthday.

Playwright and theater director Moss Hart was born on October 24, 1904, in New York City, New York.

Hart was raised in relative poverty in the Bronx.  As a child, he was close to his Aunt Kate, who took him to the theater frequently.  Though he lost contact with her after she and his parents had a falling out, he always credited her with giving him his love for theater.  He learned that the theater made possible “the art of being somebody else… not a scrawny boy with bad teeth [and] a funny name.” 

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Dag Hammarskjöld Invert Controversy

US #1203 – The original non-error stamp issued on this day in 1962. Click the image to order.

On October 23, 1962, the US Post Office Department unknowingly issued an unknown number of inverted Dag Hammarskjöld error stamps.  The fallout from this issue became known as Day’s Folly (after Postmaster General J. Edward Day).

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Holiday Celebrations Series 

US #3118 – The first US Hanukkah stamp, issued on this day in 1996.

On October 22, 1996, the USPS issued its first stamp honoring Hanukkah, which was also the first stamp in the Holiday Celebrations Series. 

The US has issued Christmas stamps since 1962.  Over time, two series developed – Contemporary Christmas and Traditional Christmas.  While the Contemporary Christmas stamps feature images of modern celebrations such as Christmas trees and Santa, Traditional Christmas stamps depict the Madonna and Child, the Holy Family, and angels.

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First Appearance of Wonder Woman

US #4084c was part of a sheet honoring several DC Comics superheroes. Click the image to order.

On October 21, 1941, Wonder Woman was introduced in All Star Comics #8.

As the world was at war in the early 1940s, comic books came under fire for promoting violence.  While some called for comics to be banned, one man saw an opportunity to improve comics and empower young girls, with the wise and mighty Wonder Woman.

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