This Day in History… April 30, 1941

Posted on April 30, 2018 by MysticStamp

US Savings Bonds 

US #2534 was issued on this day in 1991.

On April 30, 1941, President Franklin Roosevelt announced a new series of US Savings Bonds and bought the first one himself the following day.

The practice of the government selling securities to the public dates back to 1776. That year, private citizens bought more than $27 million in government bonds to help pay for the American Revolution. They put their trust in their new government that they would be repaid. And indeed, they were all repaid, and on time, proving the system worked and paving the way for a new American tradition.

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This Day in History… April 29, 1947

Posted on April 29, 2018 by MysticStamp

First US Aerogram

US #UC16 – America’s first aerogram, issued on this day in 1947.

On April 29, 1947, the US issued its first aerogram, then called an air letter sheet.

In the early days of the mail, letter sheets were the common way to send letters. Messages were written on paper that was folded and sealed. Some postal authorities would charge by the amount of paper used, so using an envelope would make mailing a letter more expensive. As these laws changed and envelopes became the common practice, letter sheets fell out of favor but were still used on occasion in the 1900s.

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This Day in History… April 28, 1956

Posted on April 28, 2018 by MysticStamp

Opening of FIPEX

US #1076 – Issued on the third day of the show, this stamp pictures the convention hall as well as the Columbus Monument in Barcelona, Spain.

The Fifth International Philatelic Exhibition (FIPEX) opened its doors to a record 60,000 visitors on April 28, 1956.

America’s fifth international philatelic exhibition was planned in conjunction with the opening of a brand new exhibition hall, the New York Coliseum at Columbus Circle. The $35 million, 323,000-square-foot coliseum had begun construction in 1954.

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This Day in History… April 27, 1896

Posted on April 27, 2018 by MysticStamp

Birth of Rogers Hornsby 

US #3408f from the Legends of Baseball sheet.

Rogers Hornsby, Sr., was born on April 27, 1896, in Winters, Texas.

The youngest of six children, Hornsby began playing baseball at a young age, once stating, “I can’t remember anything that happened before I had a baseball in my hand.” When he was 10, Hornsby worked as a messenger boy in a meat packing plant, where he occasionally played as an infielder on the company team. By the time he was 15, Hornsby was playing on semi-professional baseball teams.

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This Day in History… April 26, 1785

Posted on April 26, 2018 by MysticStamp

Birth of John J. Audubon 

US #874 from the Famous Americans Series.

Jean Rabin Audubon (later known as John James Audubon) was born on April 26, 1785, in Les Cayes, Saint-Domingue – today’s Haiti.

Audubon was the son of a French naval officer and sugar plantation owner who had helped the American cause during the Revolution. As tensions in Saint-Domingue began to rise, Audubon’s father decided to move back to France and joined the Republic Guard.

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This Day in History… April 25, 1988

Posted on April 25, 2018 by MysticStamp

Soviet-Canadian Polar Bridge Expedition

Item #M4267 – Canadian cover carried along the journey, canceled at five key points, and signed by the expedition members.

On April 25, 1988, the Soviet-Canadian Polar Bridge Expedition reached the North Pole.

Plans for this expedition began in 1986 when a group of Soviet scientists and radio amateurs developed decided they wanted to ski to the South Pole from the Antarctic coast. Over time, their idea changed, and a year later, the new plan was for a team of Soviets and Canadians to ski from the Siberian Coast across the Arctic, to the North Pole, and then continue on to Canada.

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