US #1804 – Banneker was the third honoree in the Black Heritage Series.
Benjamin Banneker was born on November 9, 1731, in Baltimore County, Maryland.
Banneker was the son of freed slaves and received little formal education as a child. He was mostly self-taught and what little education he had ended when he was old enough to work on the family farm.
US #4522-23 – The first stamps in the Civil War Sesquicentennial Series.
On November 8, 1861, the Trent Affair began an international incident that nearly sparked a war between the US and Great Britain during the Civil War.
As America moved toward war in early 1861, the North and South both considered what role the British might play in a potential future conflict. Britain depended on Southern cotton, so the South believed that would aid them in earning diplomatic recognition. However, the Union saw the conflict as an internal issue that the British should stay away from.
US #976 was issued for the 100th anniversary of Fort Bliss.
On November 7, 1848, the War Department established a post on the Rio Grande that would later come to be known as Fort Bliss.
General Zachary Taylor established a military camp at the Rio Grande to protect American interests in the territory also claimed by Mexico. This helped provoke the Mexican-American War, in which Taylor was a key commander.
US #1189 was issued for Naismith’s 100th birthday.
Basketball inventor James Naismith was born on November 6, 1861, in Almonte, Ontario, Canada.
Naismith struggled in school but enjoyed spending time outside, playing catch, hide-and-seek, and other games. He was orphaned at a young age and was raised by his aunt and uncle.
US #682 was issued for the 300th anniversary of the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
On November 5, 1639, Richard Fairbanks was made the first official postmaster in an American colony.
In the early days of the colonies, many citizens attempted to keep in touch with people from their mother countries. When they sent letters to Europe, they could trust that their mail would be handled respectfully, passing through those countries’ respective postal systems.
U.S. #975 was issued on Rogers’ 69th birthday.
William Penn Adair Rogers was born on November 4, 1879, in Oologah, Cherokee Nation (present-day Oklahoma).
Rogers’ parents, Clement Vann Rogers and Mary Schrimsher, were both part Cherokee Indian. Rogers loved cowboys and horses and learned to ride and rope at a young age, earning a place in the Guinness Book of World Records for throwing three lassos at one time.
