US #63 was issued on this day in 1861.
On August 17, 1861, the first of several Civil War-era stamps was used for the first time.
In 1860 and 1861, eleven Southern states left the Union and formed the Confederate States of America, an action that resulted in the beginning of the Civil War. On April 12, 1861, the war erupted at Fort Sumter. Less than two months later, the United States discontinued postal services to the South.
US #1306 was issued for the 50th anniversary of this treaty. Click image to order.
On August 16, 1916, the US and Canada signed the first Migratory Bird Treaty to protect the birds that live in both nations.
In the early 1900s, the conservation movement was on the rise. At this time, several different bird species were in danger due to the commercial trade of birds and their feathers. Additionally, their habitats were in danger because of unregulated harvesting.
US #4224 – This stamp reportedly has an error in the chemical formula for Cori ester.
Biochemist Gerty Theresa Radnitz Cori was born on August 15, 1896, in Prague, Austro-Hungarian Empire.
Gerty was the daughter of a chemist who invented a method for refining sugar. She was tutored at home before going to secondary school, where she decided at age 16 she wanted to be a doctor. Gerty then discovered that in order to enter a scientific program, she needed to study Latin, physics, chemistry, and math. In just one year she studied the equivalent of eight years of Latin, five of science, and five of math.
US #964 was issued on the 100th anniversary of the territory’s establishment. Click image to order.
On August 14, 1848, the Oregon Territory was established.
American ships reached the Oregon coast in 1788. In 1792, Captain Robert Gray, an American, was the first European to explore the Columbia River. Gray named the river after his ship. The Lewis and Clark Expedition traveled by land to the mouth of the Columbia River in 1805. These explorations gave the United States solid grounds for claiming the Oregon region.
US #3226 features special die-cutting on Hitchcock’s famous caricature in the upper-left corner.
Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock was born on August 13, 1899, in Leytonstone, Essex, England.
The son of a greengrocer, Hitchcock was a well-behaved child who did well in school – usually in the top five of his class. He attended St. Ignatius College and studied engineering at the University of London.
US #3930 was issued for the 50th anniversary of the Presidential Libraries Act. Click image to order.
On August 12, 1955, the Presidential Libraries Act was passed, providing for the organized transfer of presidential papers and other items to the federal government.
Prior to this, presidential papers were seen as the president’s personal property. Most presidents took their papers with them after they left office. Some of these were destroyed, sold, or split up between multiple people.
