US #4445 pictures Mauldin and his characters, Willie and Joe.
William Henry “Bill” Mauldin was born on October 29, 1921, in Mountain Park, New Mexico.
The son of a World War I veteran, Mauldin spent his childhood in Mountain Park and later Phoenix, Arizona. He then went on to attend the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts. Mauldin returned to Phoenix in 1940 and enlisted in the Arizona National Guard.
US #2635 was issued for the highway’s 50th anniversary.
On October 28, 1942, construction was completed on the 1,700 mile Alaska Highway.
In the 1920s, people began proposing a highway from the lower 48 states, through Canada, to Alaska. The Canadian government refused to offer funds for its construction because it would have benefited only the small population of the country’s Yukon Territory. Support increased in both Canada and the US toward the end of the decade. Unfortunately, the Great Depression hit and there was no money for such a program.
US #557 was issued on Roosevelt’s 64th birthday.
Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt was born October 27, 1858, in New York City, the second of four children.
Roosevelt suffered from asthma and other sicknesses throughout his childhood. Despite this, he was often active and mischievous, taking great joy in activities outdoors. Roosevelt had a photographic memory and excelled in geography, history, biology, French, and German.
US #3142a – from the Classic American Aircraft Sheet
On October 26, 1940, the P-51 Mustang completed its first flight.
In April 1940, the British government sought to purchase planes from American manufacturers. At the time, the Curtiss P-40 Tomahawk was the best American fighter aircraft in production, however, the Curtiss-Wright plant was working at capacity.
Burundi #950 was issued for Picasso’s 130th birthday.
Pablo Ruiz Picasso was born on October 25, 1881, in Málaga, Spain.
The son of a painter, Picasso showed a talent for art from an early age. When he was seven, his father gave him formal drawing and painting lessons. Soon, Picasso was so occupied with his art, it distracted him from his schoolwork.
US #3214 – from the 1998 Folk Musicians Issue
Saunders Terrell, later known as Sonny Terry, was born on October 24, 1911, in Greensboro, Georgia.
Born to a poor farming family, Terry received a blues harp from his father when he was a child. His father taught him some basics and before long he was picking up songs he heard at home and church.
