Russia #4993 was issued for Picasso’s 100th 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 #1012 was issued for the 100th anniversary of the founding of the American Society of Civil Engineers. It pictures a covered bridge and the George Washington Bridge.
On October 24, 1931, the George Washington Bridge was dedicated, officially opening to traffic the next day.
During the Revolutionary War, the area where the bridge stands now was home to Fort Washington in New York and Fort Lee in New Jersey. Washington had used these forts in his efforts to prevent a British occupation of New York City but ultimately evacuated Manhattan through these forts.
US #C99 – Scott was known as the “Tomboy of the Air.”
On October 23, 1910, Blanche Scott became the first American female pilot to make a public flight.
Blanche Stuart Scott was born on April 8, 1884, in Rochester, New York. An adventurous tomboy from a young age, she would take her father’s car out for joy rides when she was just 13 years old. Her parents hoped to “cure” her tomboy habits and sent her to finishing school, though it had little effect.
US #2036 – Engraved by Slania, this stamp commemorates the 200th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Amity and Commerce between Sweden and the United States.
One of the world’s most famous stamp engravers, Czeslaw Slania was born on October 22, 1921, in Czeladź near Katowice, Poland.
The son of a miner, Slania discovered a love and talent for art an early age. By the time he was a teenager, he drew fake banknotes to sell at craft fairs.
US #3504 was issued for the 100th anniversary of the Nobel Prize.
Alfred Bernhard Nobel was born on October 21, 1833, in Stockholm, Sweden.
One of eight children, Nobel was the descendant of Swedish scientists Olaus Rudbeck. He had an interest in engineering and explosives from an early age, with his father teaching him some of the basic science.
US #1424 – MacArthur considered the Philippines his second home, having married his wife and raised his child there.
On October 20, 1944, General Douglas MacArthur fulfilled his promise to return to the Philippines.
In 1935, MacArthur was made military advisor to the Philippines, tasked with helping them create an independent army. (The Philippines had been an American colony since the Spanish-American War at the turn of the century). MacArthur established a home there with his family and retired two years later.
