US #C129 pictures Piper and his Piper Cub. Click the image to order.
William Thomas Piper was born on January 8, 1881, in Knapp Creek, New York.
From a young age, Piper worked on his family’s dairy farm. At the age of nine, he began helping his father’s oil business, repairing well pumps. Over time his father made enough money to move the family to Bradford, Pennsylvania.
US #3236m pictures Bierstadt’s painting The Last of the Buffalo. Click the image to order.
Artist Albert Bierstadt was born on January 7, 1830, in Solingen, Germany.
Bierstadt’s family moved to America the following year, settling in New Bedford, Massachusetts. Bierstadt had an interest in art from an early age, making detailed drawings in crayon when he was a child.
US #4628 was issued for Thomas’s 100th birthday in 2012.
Performer and philanthropist Danny Thomas was born Amos Muzyad Yaqoob Kairouz on January 6, 1912, in Deerfield, Michigan.
Thomas was one of 10 children born to Lebanese immigrants. He got his start in entertainment in 1932 when he began performing on the Detroit radio program The Happy Hour Club.
US #791 pictures Decatur and his friend Thomas MacDonough as well as the USS Saratoga.
Stephen Decatur Jr. was born on January 5, 1779, in Sinepuxent, Maryland.
Decatur’s family had fled their home in Philadelphia months before he was born because of the British occupation, but were able to return shortly after. When he developed a severe case of whooping cough, Decatur was sent on a merchant voyage to Europe with his father, as the salty sea air was considered the cure. He returned home not only completely cured of the cough, but also determined to become a sailor.
US #1029 was issued on the school’s 200th anniversary.
On January 4, 1754, King’s College (later Columbia University) was founded in New York.
Lewis Morris was one of the first to suggest establishing a college in the Province of New York in 1704. He suggested using a plot of land given to Trinity Church by Lord Cornburry, known as “King’s Farm.” No steps would be taken for nearly 50 years.
US #1704 was issued on the 200th anniversary of the battle.
On January 3, 1777, George Washington earned a major victory at Princeton, New Jersey.
In late December 1776, General George Washington famously led his men across the Delaware River to capture the town of Trenton, New Jersey. To retaliate, British General Lord Cornwallis assembled a force of over 9,000 men at nearby Princeton.
