US #2938 paid the international airmail rate to Canada and Mexico.
Anthropologist Ruth Fulton Benedict was born on June 5, 1887, in New York City, New York.
Benedict’s father died when she was very young and her mother was grief stricken over it for the rest of her life. These experiences instilled in Benedict an interest in grief and how it was processed by different cultures.
US #940 was issued to honor all those that served in WWII.
On June 4, 1940, over 338,000 Allied troops were evacuated from the beaches of Dunkirk after being cut off and surrounded there for weeks.
After Germany invaded Poland in September 1939, the United Kingdom sent the British Expeditionary Force to help defend France. There they fought alongside the Belgian Army and the French First, Seventh, and Ninth Armies.
US #4650 was issued to cover the Express Mail Rate.
On June 3, 1770, Franciscan friar Junipero Serra delivered the first church service at the Carmel Mission.
Born in Majorca, Spain, Serra was sent by the Spanish emperor to establish a series of missions in present-day California. The missions were founded to establish permanent settlements, prevent Russians from encroaching in the region, and spread Christianity to the native Indians.
US #306 is considered the most beautiful of the Series of 1902-03.
America’s first First Lady was born Martha Dandridge on June 2, 1731 (by the Old Style calendar), on her parents’ Chestnut Grove Plantation near Williamsburg, Virginia.
The oldest daughter of planter John Dandridge and his wife Frances Jones, Martha had a privileged childhood. She enjoyed riding horses, gardening, sewing, playing the spinet piano, and dancing. She also received an education in basic mathematics, reading, and writing – an uncommon practice for girls of the time. She may have been educated by family servant Thomas Leonard in plantation management, crop sales, alternative medicine, and breeding and raising livestock.
US #2967 was issued on this day in 1995.
On June 1, 1995, the USPS issued the first stamp in its long-running Legends of Hollywood Series
Two years earlier, the USPS issued the most popular US stamp of all time honoring Elvis Presley. The success of that stamp led postal officials to search for other charismatic stars that could have similar appeal to stamp collectors and fans alike.
US #3612 was issued on this day in 2002.
On May 31, 2002, the USPS issued the first stamp in the American Design Series.
In the early 1990s, Lou Nolan designed a proposed stamp booklet called “Made in America” for the USPS, but it was never issued. The designs were kept until 2002, when Nolan’s Toleware design was used as the first stamp of the American Design Series.
