US #1287 from the Prominent Americans Series.
On August 30, 1963, the first message was sent on the Moscow-Washington hotline.
In the early 1960s, several people pushed for a direct line of communication between US and Soviet leaders, two of the world’s superpowers. There was some pushback from members of the US State Department and military as well as the Kremlin, so no action was taken immediately.
US #1156 was issued on this day in 1960.
On August 29, 1960, the Fifth World Forestry Congress opened in Seattle, Washington.
The World Forestry Congress is the largest meeting of members of the world’s forestry sector. It’s a place where forestry professionals discuss conservation, management, and forest policies. It allows nations to exchange information and ideas on an international scale.
US #4804 was issued for the 50th anniversary of the march. Click image to order.
As African Americans struggled against segregation and mistreatment, Civil Rights leaders organized the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom on August 28, 1963.
Tensions ran high during the 1960s as segregation and violence against African Americans were spreading unchecked in the South. Civil rights demonstrations calling for equality swept the nation. The most famous was the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.
US #1134 was issued on the 100th anniversary of this event. Click image to order.
On August 27, 1859, Edwin Drake struck oil near Titusville, Pennsylvania, establishing America’s first commercially viable oil well.
While the Drake Well is often called the first commercial oil well, there are a few other wells that also hold this claim in Azerbaijan, Ontario, West Virginia, and Poland. The Drake Well is considered significant though, because previous oil wells were used for drilling for salt brine and the oil was more of an accidental byproduct. Continue reading
US #C86 from the Electronics Progress Issue. Click image to order.
Lee de Forest was born on August 26, 1873, in Council Bluffs, Iowa.
De Forest was descended from Jesse de Forest, who’d led a group of Walloon Huguenots from Europe in the 1600s. His father was a minister who hoped that his son would become a pastor, but he went to Yale’s Sheffield Scientific School instead.
US #3521 – The First Day ceremony for this stamp was held at the New York Philharmonic.
Leonard (Louis) Bernstein was born on August 25, 1918, in Lawrence, Massachusetts. His grandmother had insisted his name be Louis, but his parents always called him Leonard and he legally changed his name to Leonard when he was 15.
Bernstein had a love of music from a young age. His family got an old piano from a family member that enabled him to learn to play at home. He had several teachers over the years and could play entire operas and Beethoven symphonies as a child.
