US #1087 was designed to symbolize the struggle against polio.
On January 3, 1938, President Franklin Roosevelt established the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis, later renamed the March of Dimes.
In the early 1900s, polio affected thousands of American children every summer. Found in contaminated food and water, it was easily transmitted and mostly affected children.
US #4464 is the 33rd stamp in the Black Heritage Series.
Author, director, and producer Oscar Devereaux Micheaux was born on January 2, 1884, in Metropolis, Illinois.
Micheaux was born on a farm, but his parents moved the family to a nearby city to give their children a better education. This was short-lived, however, as money troubles sent them back to the farm. Micheaux became restless and frequently got himself in trouble. As a result, his father sent him back to the city to do marketing.
US #704 was based on a miniature painting by Charles Willson Peale in 1777.
On January 1, 1932, the US Post Office Department issued a set of 12 stamps honoring the 200th anniversary of George Washington’s birth.
The Post Office officially announced their plans for the set of stamps in November 1930. Early on, they had grand ideas for the set.
US #791 honors Macdonough and his ship Saratoga. It also honors Stephen Decatur and his ship United States.
Thomas Macdonough (born McDonough) Jr. was born on December 31, 1783, in New Castle County, Delaware. The town in which he was born was later named McDonough in his honor.
Macdonough worked as a clerk until 1800 when he joined the navy as a midshipman aboard the USS Ganges. His first term of service brought him the West Indies. After the Quasi-War with France ended, Macdonough was assigned to the USS Constellation for service in the Mediterranean Sea.
US #937 was issued the year after Smith died.
Alfred Emanuel Smith was born on December 30, 1873, in New York City, New York.
Smith’s father was a Civil War veteran who had fought with the 11th New York Fire Zouaves. When Smith was 13, his father died. After this, he dropped out of school to work at a fish market to help support the family.
US #951 was issued for the Constitution’s 150th anniversary.
On December 29, 1812, the USS Constitution scored another American victory at sea in the War of 1812.
Named for the document that established our nation’s laws, the USS Constitution was built in a Boston shipyard between 1794 and 1797. Its massive 204-foot-long oak hull was composed of trees from Massachusetts, Maine, and Georgia. The Constitution was launched on October 21, 1797.
