2006 Commemorative Stamps Background
Favorite Children's Book Animals (8)
Children and adults alike will delight in these lively and colorful
Favorite Children's Book Animals stamps, two of which -- The Very Hungry
Caterpillar and Maisy -- will also be issued by Royal Mail in the United
Kingdom.
Featuring what has become author and illustrator Eric Carle's signature
style of painted tissue paper collage, The Very Hungry Caterpillar (1969 and
1987) tells the story of one unusual caterpillar who eats his way through a
variety of foods during the course of one week. When he is full, he builds a
cocoon around himself from which he emerges as a beautiful butterfly!
In Maisy's ABC -- published in the United Kingdom in 1994 and in the U.S.
in 1995 -- Maisy the mouse discovers that the best way to learn the alphabet
is to experience it firsthand. The image on the stamp of Maisy dressed as a
queen to teach readers about the letter "Q" demonstrates the bold outlines,
bright colors, and simplicity that help endear the books of author and
illustrator Lucy Cousins to children.
In 1941, Margret and H.A. Rey introduced American readers to a charming
and mischievous monkey named Curious George and his light-hearted philosophy
that the world is full of discoveries waiting to be made. In Curious George
Flies a Kite (1958), George begins his high-flying adventure by visiting the
large family of rabbits in the big garden down the road.
Whether it is painting the walls like a master, planning the perfect
accessory for an outfit, or building an ambitious sandcastle, Olivia is always
the star of her own show (and sometimes has too much energy for her own
good!). Published in 2000, Olivia won a Caldecott Honor the following year
and was author and illustrator Ian Falconer's first book to chronicle the
energy and spunk of this loveable and unforgettable piglet heroine.
Falconer's spare charcoal line drawings, accented with splashes of red
gouache, emphasize the details in the world of his young star.
Maurice Sendak's book Where the Wild Things Are (1963), won the Caldecott
Medal in 1964 and instantly engages young children. They are carried away to
an imaginary land "Where the Wild Things Are."
Making new friends can be difficult. But when Wilbur the pig meets
Charlotte the spider, he knows that his lonely life in the barn will end.
Charlotte's love teaches Wilbur about loyalty, bravery, and the joy of being
alive. Illustrator Garth Williams gave form to this inspiring and humble
character in E.B. White's Newbery Honor-winning book Charlotte's Web (1952).
Leo Lionni's use of torn paper collage and his celebration of nature,
creativity, and kindness helped his book Frederick (1967) win a Caldecott
Honor in 1968. As a field mouse, Frederick should be preparing for winter
like the rest of his family by collecting corn and wheat. Instead Frederick
gathers together the colors and words that make cold, dark days feel warm and
bright.
First published in 1965 by Dr. Seuss, the pen name of Theodor Seuss
Geisel, Fox in Socks features a playful and tricky red fox in bright blue
socks. As flexible as a gymnast and with a head full of rhymes, he leads
beginning readers on a rollicking, tongue-twisting romp through a vibrant
world of blue goo, tweetle beetles, and cheese trees.
2006 Winter Olympic Games
With this stamp featuring an illustration of a downhill skier, the U.S.
Postal Service continues its tradition of honoring the spirit of athleticism
and international unity inspired by the Olympic Games. First recorded in
Greece in 776 B.C., the games began as a tribute to the Olympian gods who, it
was believed, bestowed on humans the gifts of strength and fleetness of foot.
The XXth Olympic Winter Games will be held Feb. 10-26, 2006, in Torino, Italy.
Artist John Mattos's work captures a skier cutting into a turn at full
speed. The Olympic rings appear below the denomination. Type along the bottom
border reads "2006 Olympic Winter Games."
Prompted by a growing cadre of snow -- sports enthusiasts, the first
Winter Olympic Games-initially called International Sports Week -- were held
at a small Alpine resort in Chamonix, France in 1924. Ice-skating, which first
debuted at the Olympic Games in 1908 in London, could be performed on an
indoor rink during summer, but other winter sports, such as bobsledding and
skiing, required outdoor venues. The 1924 event attracted more than 250
athletes from 16 countries, spurring the International Olympic Committee to
agree to stage winter games separately from summer competitions.
In 2006, the Winter Olympic Games will include bobsledding, ice hockey,
skating, and skiing. Some 2,500 world-class athletes -- a word derived from
the Greek word for "prize-seekers" -- will compete amid snow and ice in front
of an estimated 1.5 million spectators.
Stamps featuring Olympic themes have been popular with collectors since
the first modern Olympiad in 1896, when Greece issued 12 Olympic-themed
commemorative stamps. Beginning in 1932, numerous U.S. stamps have honored
the Olympic Games held in both winter and summer.
Hattie McDaniel
American character actress, singer, and radio and television performer
Hattie McDaniel became the first African American to win an Academy Award in
1940 for her role in the 1939 film Gone with the Wind.
Often heavily criticized for playing maids and other stereotypical roles,
she worked behind the scenes to battle racism and discrimination. McDaniel is
remembered for saying, "I'd rather play a maid than be one" (a quote that is
attributed to her in a number of variations), and she is often credited with
subverting any idea of subservience through her interpretative performances.
Encountering racism in Hollywood, she and several other black actors worked to
change the film industry from within during the 1940s.
Born in Wichita, KS, June 10, 1895, and raised in Denver, CO, McDaniel
showed signs of talent at an early age. She dropped out of school as a
teenager to tour with vaudeville companies, traveling musical ensembles, and
minstrel shows, including one run by her father. She sang on Denver radio as
early as 1925, and wrote and recorded several of her own songs.
She arrived in Hollywood in 1931 and soon began to appear in films. She is
usually credited with appearing in more than 90 films, but by some estimates
she is believed to have appeared in as many as 300, including uncredited roles
as extras, maids, and chorus singers. She sang a duet with Will Rogers in
Judge Priest (1934), a film directed by John Ford, and she often appeared
alongside many of the brightest stars of the era, such as Clark Gable and Jean
Harlow in Saratoga (1937), and Katharine Hepburn in Alice Adams (1935), which
featured a comic performance by McDaniel. Some of her other notable films
included Show Boat (1936). She was also featured in This Our Life (1942),
which was praised for the depth and humanity of its black characters, and
Since You Went Away (1944).
From 1947 until 1952, McDaniel played the title role in "The Beulah Show,"
which was broadcast on national radio. As the first radio show to feature a
black star, "The Beulah Show" was praised by the NAACP and the National Urban
League. Although McDaniel again played a maid, she insisted that her
character not speak in dialect, and she successfully negotiated the right to
alter scripts that did not meet her approval. Shortly before her succumbing
to Breast Cancer at 57 on Oct. 26, 1952, McDaniel was replaced by another
actress in the television version of "The Beulah Show."
Our Wedding (2)
Artist Michael Osborne designed the 2006 Our Wedding stamps especially for
mailing wedding invitations and RSVPs. Both stamps feature an illustration of
a white dove -- a time-honored symbol of peace, love, and fidelity -- and a
heart, surrounded by calligraphic flourishes set against a lavender background
(one-ounce denomination) and a light green background (two-ounce
denomination).
Reminiscent of a bygone era when letter writing was a form of art, the
stamp design is based on Spencerian script, an elegant mid-19th century form
of cursive penmanship that is growing popular again with commercial artists.
To create the stamp art, Osborne consulted vintage etiquette and penmanship
books that contain plates of calligraphic designs used to embellish
correspondence (including love letters) during the 18th and 19th centuries.
Love: True Blue
This colorful new First-Class stamp depicts two birds perched on a branch
sharing a devoted gaze. The space between them forms a heart. To create his
original design, illustrator Craig Frazier arranged paper cutouts into a
composition. He then created a digital file of the artwork and applied shades
of blue to the birds, setting them against a yellow background. The Love
stamps have been popular over the years and previous issuances have featured a
wide variety of designs including abstracts, flowers, cherubs, hearts, and the
word "LOVE" itself.
Benjamin Franklin (4)
Born in Boston on January 17, 1706, Franklin worked as an apprentice
printer as a child. In 1723 he moved to Philadelphia, where he expanded his
career as a printer by purchasing the Pennsylvania Gazette. In 1732, he also
entered the competitive almanac business by publishing Poor Richard's
Almanack, which became famous for its emphasis on the promotion of virtue
through pithy proverbs and for the ironic humor offered by Franklin's
impoverished alter ego. Franklin's extremely successful printing businesses
also published a wide range of other materials, including government
documents, currency, religious tracts, and books. Although he granted day-to-
day control to his foreman in 1748, Franklin always associated himself with
the business of printing. His last will and testament opens with the words,
"I, Benjamin Franklin, of Philadelphia, printer."
Each stamp features a collage representing one of four aspects of
Franklin's life, career, and personal interests.
The stamp honoring Franklin as a printer includes the following design
elements: a new portrait of Franklin in a printer's smock by illustrator
Michael Dooling; Sept. 25 through Oct. 2, 1729 issue of the Pennsylvania
Gazette; the front of the 1733 edition of "Poor Richard's Almanack"; and a
five-pound currency note printed by Franklin in 1760.
The stamp honoring Franklin as a scientist includes the following design
elements: a whimsical 19th-century Currier and Ives lithograph depicting
Franklin and his son performing the legendary electricity experiment with a
kite; a page from Franklin's 1769 volume "Experiments and Observations on
Electricity" depicting water spouts and a "magic square"; a schematic drawing
of Franklin's "three-wheeled clock" from the late 18th-century book "Select
Mechanical Exercises" by James Ferguson; and a depiction of Franklin at a
writing desk from a mural by Charles Elliott Mills at the Benjamin Franklin
Institute of Technology in Boston.
The stamp honoring Franklin as a postmaster includes the following design
elements: a graphic device used by the Boston Post-Boy newspaper during the
middle of the eighteenth century; a colonial postal cover from Marlbro, MD, on
a 1775 letter to Philadelphia; a colonial-era date postmark; and a late 18th-
century painting of Franklin by Charles Wilson Peale after a portrait by David
Martin. Text across the bottom of the stamp reads "B. Free Franklin,
Postmaster," a reference to Franklin's personal franking signature.
The stamp honoring Franklin as a statesman includes the following design
elements: a detail from John Trumbull's famous painting of the signing of the
Declaration of Independence, painted between 1786 and 1819; a copy of
Franklin's 1754 "Join or Die" political cartoon urging colonial unity; the top
of a printed copy of the Declaration of Independence; a pastel portrait of
Franklin by Joseph-Siffred Duplessis, painted during the 1780s; and the French
side of the 1778 Treaty of Alliance with France, which was negotiated and
signed by Franklin.
Art of Disney: Romance (4)
The Postal Service continues to honor Walt Disney and his studio animators
by issuing the Art of Disney: Romance stamps. This is the third stamp pane
honoring the art of Disney to be issued by the U.S. Postal Service. The
first, issued in 2004, was on the theme of friendship. The second, issued in
2005, focused on celebrations.
With the help from a few beloved Disney characters, it's easy to add a
dash of romance to your cards and letters with stamps that feature Cinderella
and Prince Charming; Beauty and the Beast; Lady and Tramp; and Mickey and
Minnie Mouse.
Stamp Pane Text
True love is a wish that every heart makes. Expressing our yearning for
soul mates, Disney characters embody our joy when we find them, reminding us
of the moment when we know the stars are on our side and a bright future has
begun.
Cinderella and Prince Charming
Everyone dreams of living a rags-to-riches fairy tale and dancing with
that special someone. As Cinderella and Prince Charming learn, one waltz can
lead to a moment of realization: "So this is love."
Beauty and the Beast
This is the evening the Beast has awaited, but can he tell Belle of his
love? He knows his heart, but does she yet know her own? These lovers are as
uncertain as they are hopeful -- emotions and a tale "as old as time."
Lady and Tramp
First dates can be full of risks -- and ordering spaghetti only
complicates matters. Fortunately for Lady and Tramp, a plate of pasta leads
to a memorable kiss, turning a simple dinner out into a wonderful "Bella
Notte."
Mickey and Minnie Mouse
Mickey and Minnie Mouse have been sweethearts for many years, yet they
still have that first-date feeling. Seeing this celebrated couple, we can all
take heart; they prove that sometimes the course of love can indeed run
smooth.
Sugar Ray Robinson
Resembling a vintage fight poster from the 1940s and '50s, the Sugar Ray
Robinson stamp design features block lettering and a halftone image of
Robinson created from a photographic portrait made during his peak fighting
years.
In his prime, as a six-time world champion boxer, Sugar Ray Robinson
(1921-1989), was virtually unbeatable in the ring. He reigned as the
undefeated world welterweight champion from Dec. 20, 1946, until Feb. 14,
1951, when he won the world middleweight title for the first of five times.
His portrait appeared on the cover of the June 25, 1951, issue of TIME
magazine -- the caption read "Sugar Ray Robinson: Rhythm in his feet and
pleasure in his work." In 1967 he was elected to the Boxing Hall of Fame.
The former editor of The Ring magazine ranked Robinson No. 1 in his 1984 book
"The 100 Greatest Boxers of All Time." He was inducted into the International
Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990, and nine years later a panel of experts assembled
by the Associated Press named Sugar Ray Robinson the No. 1 "fighter of the
century."
Sugar Ray Robinson was born Walker Smith, Jr., on May 3, 1921 -- either in
Ailey, GA, (according to his birth certificate) -- or in Detroit, MI,
(according to his autobiography). In 1932 his mother moved with Walker and
his two sisters from Detroit to New York City. They settled in Harlem, where
Walker's natural talent in the ring was noticed at a local gym. He fought
amateur matches using, as the story goes, a borrowed Amateur Athletic Union
card that had been issued to a youth named Ray Robinson. Building a
reputation for himself under the assumed name (which he would later take as
his own), he fought a total of 85 amateur bouts and won them all -- 69 by
knockout, 40 in the first round. The now legendary moniker "Sugar Ray" was
coined by a sportswriter for the youngster who sure was a "sweet fighter." In
1939 he captured the Golden Gloves featherweight title. In 1940, after
winning the Golden Gloves lightweight championship, Sugar Ray Robinson became
a professional boxer.
Robinson launched his career with a second-round knockout of Joe
Echeverria on Oct. 4, 1940, at Madison Square Garden. He also won his next 39
fights (29 by knockout) before experiencing his first loss -- to middleweight
Jake "The Bull" LaMotta in a ten-round bout on Feb. 5, 1943, in Detroit.
Three weeks later he won a ten-round rematch with LaMotta.
On Feb. 14, 1951 -- in a bloody fight that afterward was dubbed boxing's
St. Valentine's Day Massacre -- Robinson took the world middleweight
championship from Jake LaMotta with a technical knockout in the 13th round.
But his July 10, 1951, defeat in London by British fighter Randy Turpin (the
second loss of his career) cost him the middleweight title. In their rematch
two months later at the Polo Grounds in New York City, he regained the crown
with a tenth-round technical knockout. In 1952 he retained the title against
Carl "Bobo" Olson and Rocky Graziano. Sugar Ray's third and last fight in
1952 was a challenge for Joey Maxim's light heavyweight title. In an outdoor
bout on June 25 at Yankee Stadium, Robinson suffered the only technical
knockout of his entire career when he collapsed with heat exhaustion.
Although ahead on points, he didn't answer the bell for the 14th round and
Maxim was declared the victor.
Sugar Ray announced his retirement from boxing on Dec. 18, 1952, but he
returned to the ring at the beginning of 1955. With a second-round knockout
of Carl Olson during their Dec. 9, 1955, fight in Chicago, Robinson once again
reigned as world middleweight champion. Over the next couple of years he
would lose the title twice, regaining it each time in rematches. He knocked
out Fullmer in the fifth round of their rematch with a dramatic left hook that
is still referred to as the "perfect" punch. But on January 22, 1960, he lost
the middleweight title to Paul Pender in a split decision and was unable to
regain it in their rematch five months later. He continued to box until
retiring for good at the end of 1965. The trophy he received in a ceremony at
Madison Square Garden on Dec. 10, 1965, was inscribed "The World's Greatest
Fighter."
Robinson later moved to Los Angeles where he worked as an actor, obtaining
small roles in a few television shows and movies. He established the Sugar
Ray Robinson Youth Foundation in 1969 to help inner-city youngsters develop
their skills in sports, fine arts, and performing arts. He died from
complications of Alzheimer's disease and diabetes on April 12, 1989.
AMBER Alert
The U.S. Postal Service continues its tradition of drawing attention to
important social causes by issuing the AMBER Alert stamp in 2006 to honor a
program dedicated to the rapid recovery of abducted children. AMBER stands for
America's Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response.
Law enforcement officials will issue an AMBER Alert when they have
sufficient information regarding the circumstances of an abduction and believe
that the kidnapped child is in imminent danger of serious injury or death. A
description of the victim and the circumstances is then sent to area radio and
television stations via the Emergency Alert System and is immediately
broadcast to the general public.
The AMBER Alert program originated in the Dallas-Fort Worth, TX, area in
1996 after the tragic kidnapping and murder of nine-year-old Amber Hagerman,
for whom the program is named. Other states and communities soon began
adopting similar plans, and by 2005 a national alert system coordinated by the
U.S. Department of Justice extended across all 50 states.
AMBER alerts, which have helped in the recovery of nearly 200 children,
can mobilize the community during the first critical hours following a
kidnapping and provide the police with a wide network of eyes and ears to
assist in the search.
Organizations that support the AMBER Alert program include the National
Center for Missing and Exploited Children and the Polly Klaas Foundation. The
chalk pastel illustration by artist Vivienne Flesher shows a reunited mother
and child entwined in each other's arms. The type on each stamp and text
across the header of the stamp pane reads "AMBER ALERT saves missing
children."
Katherine Ann Porter
With the 22nd stamp in the Literary Arts series, the U.S. Postal Service
honors acclaimed writer Katherine Anne Porter. Considered a master prose
stylist, Porter won both the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize for
fiction in 1966 for "The Collected Stories of Katherine Anne Porter" (1965).
Although skilled in creating short fiction, Porter did not achieve
financial success until the publication of her only full-length novel, "Ship
of Fools" (1962). A best seller that was eventually made into a movie, "Ship
of Fools" drew on a log Porter kept of the sea voyage she made from Veracruz,
Mexico, to Bremerhaven, Germany, in 1931 after she won a Guggenheim
fellowship.
Award-winning stamp artist Michael J. Deas based his painting of Porter on
a 1936 photograph made by George Platt Lynes. By including a ship in the
design, Deas links Porter's portrait to the sea voyage that inspired her best-
selling novel "Ship of Fools" and to her assessment of life, which she called,
"this brave voyage."
Despite never having attended college, or graduating from high school,
Porter occasionally taught literature and writing at a number of universities
beginning in the 1940s. She also received honorary degrees from several
institutions including the University of Maryland, which today counts Porter's
papers and personal library among its Special Collections.
She was born Callie Russell Porter on May 15, 1890, in Indian Creek, TX.
After the death of her mother in 1892, Callie and her family went to live with
her paternal grandmother, Catharine Ann Porter, in Kyle, TX. For several years
after Catharine's death in 1901, the family rarely settled anywhere for very
long. Fleeing the instability of her family life, Callie married her first
husband at 16, but the marriage ended nine years later. At the time she filed
for divorce, Callie legally changed her name to Katherine Anne Porter, after
her grandmother.
Strong-willed, intelligent, and gifted, Porter worked as a journalist in
Texas and Colorado before moving to New York City in 1919. There she began
writing fiction and became acquainted with Mexican artists whose enthusiasm
for their cultural heritage precipitated her four trips to Mexico City between
1920 and 1931. During this period, she wrote essays, reviews, and several
original pieces of fiction including "Flowering Judas." Set in Mexico,
"Flowering Judas" was also the title of Porter's first collection of stories,
which she published to critical praise in 1930.
Perhaps the finest collection of her fiction is "Pale Horse, Pale Rider"
(1939), which brought together three short novels. The title work and short
fiction "Old Mortality" feature the autobiographical character Miranda.
Porter, who frequently used personal experience as inspiration, believed that
an artist's job is "to take these handfuls of confusion and disparate things,
things that seem to be irreconcilable, and put them together in a frame to
give them some kind of shape and meaning."
Three years before her death in 1980 at the age of 90, Porter published
her final work, "The Never-Ending Wrong" (1977), a personal memoir of the
Sacco-Vanzetti trial of 1921. She died in Silver Spring, MD, and was buried
beside her mother in Indian Creek, TX.
Porter's Kyle, TX, childhood home is now a museum and home for writers-in-
residence. On June 13, 2002, the house was dedicated as a national literary
landmark. That same year the American Academy of Arts and Letters presented
the first Katherine Anne Porter Award, which is given every two years to a
prose writer of demonstrated achievement and dedication.
Wonders of America: Land of Superlatives
Forty natural and man-made wonders of the United States are depicted on
this stamp pane. These remarkable places, plants, animals, and structures were
selected from every region of the country.
On the front of each stamp, in large letters, are words that describe the
superlative nature of a particular place or thing. Smaller type gives the name
or location of the featured wonder. Text on the back of each stamp provides
relevant statistics and other interesting information.
Largest Reptile: American Alligator
Most adult male alligators are about 11 feet long and weigh 450 to 600
pounds. The largest gator on record, however, measured more than 19 feet in
length. Alligators are found in swamps, marshes, rivers and lakes from Texas
to the Carolinas.
Highest Sea Cliffs: Moloka`i
The sea cliffs along the northeastern coast of Moloka`i, one of eight
major islands in the state of Hawaii, are the highest in the world. The cliffs
near Umilehi Point drop nearly 3,300 feet at an average slope of 58 degrees.
Tallest Cactus: Saguaro
The saguaro cactus, symbol of the American Southwest, can grow taller than
a five-story building. One record-breaking specimen in Arizona reached a
height of nearly 60 feet. A saguaro grows slowly; a ten-year-old plant may be
less than six inches high.
Largest Glacier: Bering Glacier
Bering Glacier, near Cordova, Alaska, is the nation's largest glacier. It
is about 126 miles long and about 30 miles wide near its terminus. The glacier
changes size with fluctuations in the weather and "calves" icebergs into Vitus
Lake. (Editor's note: calving is the process in which the edge of a glacier
breaks-off to form an iceberg.)
Tallest Dunes: Great Sand Dunes
The Great Sand Dunes rise more than 750 feet above the floor of the San
Luis Valley, at the base of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains in Colorado. Strong
winds blow over the mountains toward the northeast, moving sand and constantly
reshaping the dunes.
Largest Estuary: Chesapeake Bay
Chesapeake Bay cuts across Maryland and Virginia; it is almost 200 miles
long and from 3 to roughly 30 miles wide. The surrounding area encompasses a
range of environments, allowing a diverse assortment of plants and animals to
flourish.
Largest Cliff Dwelling: Cliff Palace
The multistory pueblo known today as Cliff Palace, in Colorado, was a
large complex containing many rooms. This mysterious archaeological wonder,
built centuries ago in the shelter of a canyon wall, was constructed primarily
of sandstone, mortar, and wooden beams.
Deepest Lake: Crater Lake
At its deepest, the bottom of Crater Lake, in Oregon, is 1,943 feet below
the water's surface; the lake's maximum width is six miles. This beautiful
body of water, known for its intense blue color, formed after the collapse of
an ancient volcano.
Largest Land Mammal: American Bison
American bison typically reach 7 to 11 feet in length and weigh 900 to
2,200 pounds. They feed primarily on grasses and can run nearly 30 miles an
hour. Full-grown bulls stand 6 feet or more at the shoulder.
Longest Reef: Off the Florida Keys
The Florida Keys, a chain of islands approximately 220 miles long, curve
south and west of mainland Florida. Stretching along beside them, about six
miles seaward, is a long barrier reef. Coral reefs are actually colonies of
tiny animals called coral polyps.
Longest Hiking Trail: Pacific Crest Trail
The Pacific Crest Trail is the nation's longest continuous designated
hiking trail, running for 2,650 miles from Mexico to Canada, through
California, Oregon, and Washington. It passes through various climate zones
and types of terrain and is open to foot and horse travel only.
Tallest Man-made Monument: Gateway Arch
The Gateway Arch, in St. Louis, memorializes the national expansion that
took place under President Thomas Jefferson. Completed in 1965, the arch spans
630 feet and rises to the same height; it was built to withstand earthquakes
and high winds.
Oldest Mountains: Appalachians
The Appalachian Mountains stretch along the East Coast in a southwesterly
direction from Canada to Alabama. Many geologists estimate that the birth of
this mountain chain took place nearly half a billion years ago, when tectonic
plates collided.
Largest Flower: American Lotus
Solitary and fragrant, the American lotus flower may reach 10 inches in
diameter; its single round leaf can reach more than 2 feet in diameter. The
lotus grows in ponds, lakes, and streams and was a source of food for American
Indians.
Largest Lake: Lake Superior
The largest of the five Great Lakes, Superior shares waters with Canada
and covers a surface area of about 31,700 square miles. Lake Superior is
approximately 350 miles long; its maximum depth is 1,333 feet.
Fastest Land Animal: Pronghorn
The pronghorn can reach speeds around 60 miles per hour and can maintain a
pace of 45 miles per hour for several minutes. The only faster land animal is
the cheetah, reaching speeds of 70 miles per hour for short distances.
(Editor's note: Pronghorns resemble antelopes and have small forked horns.
They are found on western North American plains.)
Oldest Trees: Bristlecone Pines
The oldest bristlecone pines, so named for the long, hooked spines on the
scales of their cones, are more than 4,500 years old. Twisted and gnarled by
the elements, they grow in rocky, arid regions of six western states.
Tallest Waterfall: Yosemite Falls
Yosemite Falls, in Yosemite National Park in California, is actually in
three sections with a total drop of 2,425 feet. An upper waterfall (1,430
feet) and a lower one (320 feet) are separated by small plunges and rapids
(675 feet).
Largest Desert: Great Basin
The Great Basin covers an area of roughly 190,000 square miles, mostly in
Nevada. This desert region is actually a series of basins, sprinkled with
sagebrush and mountain ranges. Increased precipitation at higher elevations
supports numerous plant and animal species.
Longest Span: Verrazano-Narrows Bridge
The Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, connecting Brooklyn and Staten Island, is
named after Giovanni da Verrazano, a European explorer who sailed into the
area in 1524. Two towers, each 693 feet tall, stand 4,260 feet apart; the
bridge's total length is 13,700 feet.
Windiest Place: Mount Washington
The summit of Mount Washington, in New Hampshire, holds the official
record for the maximum wind gust ever recorded on land -- and not associated
with a tornado or hurricane. On April 12, 1934, an anemometer recorded a wind
gust of 231 mph.
Largest Canyon: Grand Canyon
The Grand Canyon is 277 miles long. At its widest point, it is more than
15 miles across; at its deepest, it reaches down more than a mile. The Grand
Canyon is one of the "Seven Natural Wonders of the World."
Largest Frog: American Bullfrog
American bullfrogs can reach more than six inches in length; males weigh
up to one pound and their calls can be heard from a quarter mile away. Adults
are predatory and will consume snakes, birds, fish, insects and even other
frogs.
Tallest Dam: Oroville Dam
The Oroville Dam, on the Feather River in northern California, stands 770
feet tall and is 6,920 feet long at its crest. Construction of the dam,
located in the Sierra Nevada foothills north of Sacramento, was completed in
1967.
Fastest Bird: Peregrine Falcon
When diving after prey, the peregrine falcon is the world's fastest bird,
reaching speeds of 200 miles an hour or more. Its horizontal cruising speed is
considerably slower. Other birds, such as pigeons and ducks, are the falcon's
usual prey.
Largest Delta: Mississippi River Delta
The Mississippi River delta, where the mouth of the river meets the Gulf
of Mexico, covers approximately 11,000 square miles, roughly a quarter of the
state of Louisiana. The delta gradually changes form as sediment deposited by
the river builds up.
Tallest Geyser: Steamboat
Steamboat, a popular attraction in Yellowstone National Park, is the
world's tallest active geyser. At unscheduled intervals, it sends rockets of
water soaring as high as 300 feet or more, though minor eruptions of 10 to 40
feet are more common.
Largest Natural Bridge: Rainbow Bridge
The world's largest natural bridge, Rainbow Bridge, is in southern Utah;
it is 275 feet across and 290 feet tall. This sandstone wonder holds spiritual
significance for various American Indian groups and was designated a national
monument in 1910 by President Taft.
Largest Freshwater Fish: White Sturgeon
The white sturgeon is the largest freshwater fish in North America. One
record-setting specimen, from the Snake River in Idaho in the 19th century,
reportedly weighed 1,500 pounds. The white sturgeon typically reaches about 12
feet in length.
Longest Mountain Chain: Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains stretch more than 2,000 miles through several western
states. Among the most spectacular ranges in the chain are the Sawatch of
Colorado -- home to Mount Elbert, the highest peak in the Rockies at 14,433
feet-and the Tetons of Wyoming.
Tallest Trees: Coast Redwoods
Coast redwoods, the tallest trees in the world today, range from central
California to southern Oregon. Most of these giants stand between 200 and 300
feet tall, though they can reach more than 350 feet; they can live 2,000 years
or longer.
Largest Rodent: American Beaver
The average adult beaver weighs between 35 and 40 pounds; the largest can
weigh more than 60 pounds and be three feet tall when standing on its hind
legs. Though their long front teeth look menacing, beavers are peaceful
creatures.
Longest River System: Mississippi-Missouri:
From the headwaters of the Missouri River, in the Rocky Mountains, to the
great delta where the Mississippi River empties into the Gulf of Mexico, the
Mississippi-Missouri river system stretches more than 3,700 miles. Exact
measurements are difficult to pinpoint.
Rainiest Spot: Mount Wai`ale`ale
Mount Wai`ale`ale, on the island of Kaua`i in Hawaii, has an average
annual rainfall of about 400 inches. Its elevation is greater than 5,000 feet.
The name, Wai`ale`ale, may be roughly rendered in English as "overflowing
waters" or "rippling waters."
Most Active Volcano: Kilauea
Fiery eruptions are common at Kilauea, a volcano on the southeastern edge
of the Big Island of Hawaii. Kilauea has had 55 eruptive episodes since 1983;
it typically produces more than 10 million cubic feet of lava every day.
Longest Cave: Mammoth Cave
More than 365 miles of passages have been explored and mapped in Mammoth
Cave, in Kentucky. This is the longest known cave in the world; according to
tradition, it was discovered in the 1790s by a hunter chasing a bear.
Loudest Animal: Blue Whale:
Blue whales, found in all the world's oceans, including U.S. waters, are
the biggest and loudest animals on Earth. They can emit sounds at a volume
greater than 180 decibels in water, but pitched too low for humans to detect
without sensitive equipment.
Hottest Spot: Death Valley
In Death Valley, one of the hottest places on Earth, summer temperatures
average more than 100 degrees Fahrenheit. A record high of 134 degrees was
measured there in July 1913. The valley floor is even hotter than the
surrounding air.
Longest Covered Bridge: Cornish-Windsor Bridge
This landmark bridge accommodating two-way vehicular traffic between the
towns of Cornish, New Hampshire, and Windsor, Vermont, is about 450 feet long.
It was constructed in 1866, at a cost of $9,000, and was a toll bridge until
1943.
Largest Plant: Quaking Aspen
The root system of a quaking aspen tree can produce a clone that appears
to be an entire grove. A clone in Utah named Pando (Latin for "I spread")
weighs an estimated 6,600 tons, making it one of the most massive living
organisms known.
The 1606 Voyage of Samuel de Champlain
This souvenir sheet commemorates the 400th anniversary of the explorations
of Samuel de Champlain in 1606. Jointly issued by Canada Post and the U.S.
Postal Service to coincide with the Washington 2006 World Philatelic
Exhibition, this sheet features two 50-cent Canadian stamps and two 37-cent
U.S. stamps.
A skilled cartographer, Samuel de Champlain (c.1570-1635) played a key
role in French exploration of North America. In 1606, he accompanied
lieutenant governor Jean de Biencourt de Poutrincourt on a mission to explore
southward along the Atlantic coast. Beginning in Port Royal in what is now
Nova Scotia, the expedition reached as far south as modern-day Cape Cod.
Remembered as a remarkable draftsman, Champlain created highly detailed maps
and drawings and wrote numerous accounts of his travels, including
descriptions of his encounters with local tribes. His works document the
cultures and geography of the east coast of North America during the early
17th century, and his maps are considered the first scientific documents
relating to Canada.
Closely involved with French interests in North America for three decades,
Champlain is also credited with the founding of Quebec in 1608. Later, he
traveled inland, exploring the lake that still bears his name and journeying
as far west as Lake Ontario and Georgian Bay, part of Lake Huron.
Washington 2006 World Philatelic Exhibition
The Washington 2006 event, May 27 through June 3, will be commemorated
with a souvenir sheet that includes reproductions of three stamps issued in
1923. These stamps depict well-known Washington sights -- the Lincoln
Memorial, the U.S. Capitol, and the statue "Freedom" -- and appear on the
sheet in their original denominations.
The $1 Lincoln Memorial stamp was issued at Washington, DC, and
Springfield, IL, on Feb. 12, 1923, the 114th anniversary of President
Lincoln's birthday. The stamp features an engraving by Louis S. Schofield, of
the Bureau of Engraving and Printing.
The $2 U.S. Capitol stamp was issued at Washington, DC, March 20, 1923. It
features another engraving by Louis S. Schofield; this one is from a
photograph of the East Front of the Capitol in the collection of the Bureau of
Engraving and Printing.
The $5 stamp was also issued that date in Washington, DC. Printed in two
colors, the stamp features a John Eissler engraving of the head of "Freedom" -
- the magnificent statue by American sculptor Thomas Crawford that stands atop
the Capitol dome. This stamp is a favorite of collectors, who sometimes refer
to it as the "America" (the word appears on the banner below the main design).
The stamps will be printed using the original dies created in 1923 by
engravers at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. Art director Richard Sheaff
chose a circa 1900 gravure print of the Capitol for the selvage.
World Philatelic Exhibitions are international events held under the
patronage of the Federation Internationale de Philatelie (FIP). In general,
these exhibitions are held at least annually, drawing thousands of stamp
collectors and others interested in philately to host cities around the world.
A city in the United States is chosen to host an event about once every
decade. In 2006, for eight days beginning May 27, thousands of philatelists
will gather in Washington, DC, for Washington 2006. Visitors will view special
exhibitions; attend meetings, workshops, and lectures; shop at the bourse, the
philatelic name for a marketplace; and compete for prizes.
Distinguished American Diplomats (8)
Serving as our nation's representatives around the world, diplomats
promote foreign policy, resolve disputes, and protect American citizens
abroad. The six accomplished diplomats featured on these stamps are remembered
for their contributions to international relations -- not only as negotiators
and administrators but also as trailblazers, shapers of policy, peacemakers,
and humanitarians. This souvenir sheet consists of a collage by Fred Otnes
featuring details from photographs of six diplomats placed in front of visas,
passport pages, and other ephemera associated with diplomacy.
Hiram Bingham IV
Serving as a U.S. diplomat in France during World War II, Bingham is
remembered for saving the lives of thousands of refugees during the war
through his principled opposition to U.S. policy.
The portrait of Hiram Bingham IV is a detail from a photograph dated
August 17, 1933, which accompanied news reports of Bingham sailing to Europe
to serve as vice consul in Warsaw.
During the late 1930s, he was named vice consul in Marseilles, France,
where he was in charge of issuing visas. In 1940 and 1941, against the
official policies of the United States, he issued visas and false passports to
Jews and other refugees, assisting in their escape and sometimes sheltering
them in his own home. Bingham is credited with saving more than 2,000 people
from the Nazis, among them such famous figures as artist Marc Chagall, Nobel-
winning biochemist Otto Meyerhoff, and historian Hannah Arendt. He was
transferred briefly to Portugal and then to Argentina.
Born to a prominent Connecticut family, Bingham (1903-1988) graduated from
Yale in 1925 and studied international law at Harvard. After he entered the
Foreign Service in 1929, his postings included China, Poland and England.
Since the posthumous discovery of his humanitarian activities during the
1980s and 1990s, Bingham has been recognized by the United Nations, and in
June 2002 he was honored by the American Foreign Service Association with a
special award for "constructive dissent."
Charles E. Bohlen
A renowned expert on the Soviet Union, Charles E. Bohlen (1904-1974)
helped to shape U.S. foreign policy during World War II and the Cold War. He
was present at key negotiations with the Soviets during World War II, he
served as ambassador to Moscow during the 1950s, and he was an adviser to
every U.S. president from 1943 through 1968.
The portrait of Bohlen is an undated photograph from the U.S. Department
of State. The photograph appeared on the dust jacket of Bohlen's 1969 book,
The Transformation of American Foreign Policy.
As one of the architects of U.S. foreign policy after World War II, Bohlen
helped to develop the Marshall Plan to rebuild Europe. Remembered for his
understanding of the role of ideology in Soviet policy, he was a key advisor
to several Secretaries of State, and he served as ambassador to the Soviet
Union from 1953 to 1957. He also served as ambassador to the Philippines from
1957 to 1959 and to France from 1962 to 1968. Prior to his retirement in 1969,
he advised President Kennedy and President Johnson on U.S.-Soviet relations.
Born in Clayton, NY, Bohlen traveled frequently to Europe with his family
as a child. After graduating from Harvard University in 1927, he entered the
Foreign Service in 1929 and selected Russian and Soviet affairs as his
specialty. He was selected to join the staff of the first U.S. embassy to the
Soviet Union in 1934, and he was serving as the Soviet expert at the U.S.
embassy in Tokyo when the United States entered World War II.
Bohlen witnessed history being made at many of the most important summit
conferences of World War II. He served as interpreter for President Franklin
D. Roosevelt in 1943 at the Teheran Conference, where Roosevelt, Stalin, and
Churchill planned the final phase of the war against Nazi Germany, and again
as both interpreter and adviser in 1945 at the Yalta Conference. The Yalta
Conference was a wartime meeting between the heads of government of the United
States, United Kingdom and the Soviet Union to determine the future of Germany
and portions of Europe following World War II. Later in 1945, he also served
as interpreter at the Potsdam Conference, where Stalin, Churchill, and
President Truman discussed the future of Europe and cooperation in the
Pacific.
Philip C. Habib
A renowned career diplomat, Philip C. Habib (1920-1992) was an authority
on Southeast Asia, a peace negotiator in the Middle East, and a special envoy
to some of the world's most dangerous flash points. The portrait of Philip C.
Habib is a detail from an undated photograph by Bruce Hoertel.
Beginning in 1965, Habib served as a political counselor in Saigon just as
the Vietnam War was escalating, and he soon became an expert on the region,
serving in Washington as Deputy Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific
Affairs and then serving for three-and-a-half years on the Vietnam peace talks
in Paris. From 1971 to 1974 he served as ambassador to South Korea. From 1976
until 1978 he served as Under Secretary for Political Affairs. He also served
as Diplomat in Residence at Stanford University.
Born in Brooklyn, Habib studied forestry at the University of Idaho and
earned a Ph.D. in economics from the University of California, Berkeley. In
1949 he became a Foreign Service Officer and was subsequently posted to
Canada, New Zealand, and Trinidad.
Habib retired for health reasons in 1980, but in 1981 he came out of
retirement for a series of high-profile special assignments. He served as
President Ronald Reagan's personal representative to the Middle East, where he
spent two years engaged in high-profile shuttle diplomacy that helped reduce
tensions in the region. He also served as a special envoy to the Philippines
and Central America.
In 1982 Habib was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's
highest civilian award.
Robert D. Murphy
Murphy (1894-1978) held a series of prestigious and sensitive posts during
a career that spanned nearly four decades. Regarded by colleagues as the
consummate diplomat and a skilled troubleshooter, Murphy is especially
remembered for his role in planning the Allied invasion of North Africa during
World War II. The portrait of Murphy contains details from undated
photographs provided by the National Archives in Washington, DC.
He joined the Foreign Service in 1921 and served in various positions
throughout western Europe prior to World War II. Beginning in 1941, as
President Franklin D. Roosevelt's personal representative, he worked with the
French to negotiate the terms of the Allied takeover of North Africa. During
1943 and 1944 he was political advisor to General Dwight D. Eisenhower. He
attended the Potsdam Conference after the defeat of Germany in 1945, and he
served as a political adviser in postwar Germany until 1949.
After World War II, Murphy served as ambassador to Belgium and became the
first postwar American ambassador to Japan. During the 1950s, he played a
vital role as a negotiator. He served as advisor to the general in charge of
cease-fire talks in Korea, and in 1954 he helped defuse tensions between
Yugoslavia and Italy. In 1959, Murphy served as Under Secretary of State for
Political Affairs.
After his retirement from the Foreign Service in 1959, Murphy served on a
number of intelligence and advisory committees. He was honored by the U.S.
government with the Distinguished Service Medal and received honors from
numerous foreign governments; he was also one of the first four diplomats to
be named Career Ambassador.
Clifton R. Wharton, Sr.
During a distinguished career that spanned nearly four decades, Clifton R.
Wharton, Sr. (1899-1990) was the first black Foreign Service Officer in the
U.S. Department of State. While he was not the nation's first black
ambassador, Wharton was the first black diplomat to become ambassador by
rising through the ranks of the Foreign Service rather than by political
appointment and the first black diplomat to lead a U.S. delegation to a
European nation.
The portrait of Wharton contains details from undated photographs provided
by the National Archives in Washington, DC.
Wharton was born in Baltimore and raised in Boston, where he practiced law
from 1920 until 1923. He then moved to Washington, DC, where he worked as an
examiner at the Veterans Bureau and as a law clerk at the State Department. In
1925, after taking and passing the rigorous Foreign Service exam, he became
the nation's first black Foreign Service Officer.
After a series of postings that included Liberia, the Canary Islands,
Spain, and Madagascar, Wharton became consul general in Portugal in 1949. In
1953 he became consul general in Marseilles, France.
In 1958, with his appointment as U.S. minister to Romania by President
Eisenhower, Wharton became the first black diplomat to head a U.S. delegation
to a European country. In 1961, Wharton was appointed ambassador to Norway by
President Kennedy; during his confirmation hearings he was praised as a
"highly skillful, understanding and tactful diplomat."
Frances E. Willis
As the first female Foreign Service Officer to rise through the ranks of
the Foreign Service to become an ambassador, Frances E. Willis (1899-1983),
was the first woman to make the Foreign Service a career, and the first
American woman to be honored with the title of Career Ambassador.
The portrait of Willis is a detail from an undated photograph.
Willis earned a Ph.D. from Stanford University in 1923 and became an
assistant professor of political science at Vassar College. She decided to
change careers, and in 1927 she became the third woman to enter the Foreign
Service because, as she told an interviewer in 1953, "I didn't want to just
teach political science, I wanted to be a part of it."
Willis enjoyed many "firsts" during her career as a diplomat, including
serving as the first woman charge d'affaires, the first woman deputy chief of
mission, the first U.S. ambassador to Switzerland, and the first woman to
serve as ambassador at three of her posts. In 1962 she became the first woman
to be designated Career Ambassador, a rare distinction held by only fourteen
other people at the time.
In 1953, Willis received a Woman of the Year award from the Los Angeles
Times, and in 1955 she received the Eminent Achievement Award from the
American Woman's Association. In November 1973, the American Foreign Service
Association presented her with the Foreign Service Cup for her "outstanding
contribution to the conduct of foreign relations of the United States."
Judy Garland
As the 12th inductee in the Postal Service's Legends of Hollywood series,
Judy Garland is considered by many to be one of the greatest entertainers of
the 20th century. An all-around performer, she acted with equal effectiveness
in comedy or drama, sang a varied repertoire with unparalleled skill, and
partnered with the leading male dancers of her time, Gene Kelly and Fred
Astaire among them. Her show business colleagues have been nearly unanimous in
their praise of Garland's natural brilliance -- indeed, she was a "star of
stars."
Garland triumphed in most media of her era. She appeared in 32 feature
films, winning international fame as Dorothy, the girl who rides a tornado
from her home in Kansas to an imaginary land in the 1939 musical The Wizard of
Oz. She also was a best-selling recording artist who released more than a
dozen albums and nearly 100 singles and made hundreds of radio broadcasts. She
starred in her own television show and made guest appearances on many others.
Her live performances, widely regarded as her supreme showcase, frequently
broke box office records for theaters, concert halls, and nightclubs.
Garland's extraordinary talent was honed from an early age. She was born
Frances Ethel Gumm, June 10, 1922, in Grand Rapids, MN, where her father,
Frank, managed a theater, and her mother, Ethel, played the piano. The family
was musical: Frank and his wife billed themselves as Jack and Virginia Lee,
Sweet Southern Singers, and their three daughters performed as The Gumm
Sisters. Frances made her professional debut at the age of two, on December
26, 1924, first singing with her two older sisters, Mary Jane and Virginia,
and then delighting the audience with a solo rendition of "Jingle Bells." A
laudatory review in a local newspaper noted that "the two oldest girls are
becoming accomplished entertainers, while the work of Frances, the two-year-
old baby, was a genuine surprise."
In 1926, the family moved to California, settling in Lancaster (north of
Los Angeles) in 1927. In her new home, "Baby" Gumm, as she was known,
continued to receive glowing reviews. As a student at Lawlor's Hollywood
Professional School, where she was enrolled by her mother, Frances first met
Mickey Rooney, also a student. They first shared the bill at a Lawlor recital
in 1933.
The Gumm Sisters renamed themselves The Garland Sisters in 1934 at the
suggestion of entertainer George Jessel, headliner at Chicago's Oriental
Theatre when the girls played there that year. Frances soon began to be called
"Judy," a name she chose after hearing it in a song, and was signed in 1935 to
a contract with MGM. She made her network radio debut shortly thereafter
It took some time to find an appropriate property for the precociously
talented girl who sang with the voice of a woman, but within four years MGM
had made Garland a star. When the box office records for 1939 were posted, two
Garland movies, The Wizard of Oz and Babes in Arms, were on the list of top 10
pictures. In 1940, Garland won a special Academy Award "for her outstanding
performance as a screen juvenile during the past year" and one of the songs
she sang in the Wizard of Oz, "Over the Rainbow," won the Oscar for "best
song."
The movie, For Me and My Gal (1942), in which Garland co-starred with Gene
Kelly, set box office records and received rave reviews. Garland had an even
bigger hit with Meet Me in St. Louis (1944), in which she sang "The Trolley
Song" and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas." She played her first
dramatic role in The Clock, released the following year.
Garland vividly conveyed a range of emotions when performing, and was felt
by many who saw her in concert to erase the line between popular and high art.
She won a special Tony Award for her storied run at New York's Palace Theater
beginning in 1951, and frequently moved audiences to tears.
Garland received an Academy Award nomination as "best actress" for her
role in A Star Is Born, the 1954 film in which she sang another of her
signature songs, "The Man That Got Away." She received another Academy Award
nomination for her supporting role in the drama Judgment at Nuremberg (1961),
in which she played a German matron.
In April of 1961, Garland gave a concert in New York City at Carnegie Hall
that immediately became a show business legend. The recording of that
celebrated performance topped sales lists for 13 weeks. "Judy at Carnegie
Hall" won five Grammy Awards in 1962, including those for "album of the year"
and for "best female vocal performance."
A television special, "The Judy Garland Show," featuring Frank Sinatra and
Dean Martin, was broadcast in 1962 and garnered several Emmy nominations. The
following year, Garland began work on her own series for the CBS television
network.
In addition to her many professional achievements, Garland was also the
mother of three accomplished children: Liza Minnelli, Lorna Luft, and Joe
Luft.
After her death on June 22, 1969, Judy Garland was lauded around the world
for enriching the lives of her legion of fans. Many celebrated contemporary
entertainers, Aretha Franklin, Barbra Streisand, and Bette Midler among them,
have hailed Garland as an inspiration and influence.
DC Comics Superheroes (20)
This is the first stamp pane (20 stamps) honoring comic book super heroes
to be issued by the Postal Service.
Half of the stamps on the DC Comics Super Heroes pane show portraits of
characters; the others show covers of individual comic books devoted to their
exploits. Beginning with the classic covers, a separate paragraph below
briefly comments on each stamp.
Ever since Superman was introduced to readers in 1938, super heroes have
been nearly synonymous with the comic book medium. Their fantastic adventures
provide an escape from the everyday while simultaneously encouraging readers
to feel that individuals can make a difference.
Comic books aren't simply "kid stuff" -- adults have always been among
their readers, and the form has attracted its share of serious artists and
writers. And super heroes have responded to social and political issues from
the start, fighting corporate greed and political corruption during the
Depression, for example, and then becoming patriotic defenders of national
interests during World War II.
DC Covers
Plastic Man #4
Summer 1946
Art by Jack Cole
Cartoonist Jack Cole flexed his creative muscles with the always pliable,
ever-reliable Plastic Man, who debuted in August 1941. Cole enjoyed a 15-year
stretch experimenting with fun, unique story twists and graphics for his
expandable protagonist and stout sidekick, Woozy Winks.
Batman #1
Spring 1940
Art by Bob Kane
Batman made his debut in Detective Comics #27 in May 1939 before swinging
into action -- with Robin, the Boy Wonder, by his side -- with his own title
series in the spring of 1940. The Dark Knight's distinguishing characteristics
were intellect, skill and grim determination.
The Brave And The Bold #36
June/July 1961
Art by Joe Kubert
Hawkman returned in 1960, a reincarnated hero from the earlier "Golden
Age" of comics. The new Winged Wonder and his spouse Hawkgirl were
intergalactic police officers from a distant planet, meting out justice to the
villains terrorizing Midway City. (Editor's note: The Golden Age of Comics
took place from the late 1930s to the early 1950s.)
Green Lantern #4
Jan./Feb. 1961
Art by Gil Kane & Joe Giella
As readers entered the Space Age, so did comics. Ace test pilot Hal Jordan
took flight as Green Lantern, a galactic peace officer with an emerald power
ring that could create virtually anything. Willpower and fearlessness marked
Jordan as a hero for the times.
The Flash #111
Feb./Mar. 1960
Art by Carmine Infantino & Joe Giella
The Flash is capable of moving at speeds so great he can make himself
invisible or travel through time and between dimensions. His fast-paced
adventures highlight pseudo-science while pitting the hero against an
extensive "Rogues' Gallery" of villains.
Wonder Woman #22 (2nd series)
Nov. 1988
Art by George Perez
As a worldwide ambassador of peace, Wonder Woman soared to new heights in
the late 1980s. The character returned to her roots as an Amazon warrior from
Paradise Island, land of heroic women. Her special powers were gifts from the
Olympians.
Aquaman #5 (of 5)
Oct. 1989
Art by Curt Swan & Al Vey
Aquaman defends both land and sea with great strength, speed, and the
ability to communicate telepathically with all marine life. His ultimate goal
is to help both realms put aside their natural prejudices and unite in
peaceful coexistence.
The Daring New Adventures of Supergirl #1
Nov. 1982
Art by Rich Buckler & Dick Giordano
Moments before the destruction of Argo City, Kara Zor-El was rocketed to
Earth and reunited with her cousin Kal-El, the hero known throughout the
galaxy as Superman. Developing incredible powers and abilities, Kara chose to
follow her cousin's example and fight for good.
Superman #11
July/Aug. 1941
Art by Fred Ray
Destiny brought the infant Kal-El from Planet Krypton to Smallville, USA,
where he was raised by kindly farmers. Though gifted with extraordinary
powers, Kal-El -- now Clark Kent -- expresses true strength in the compassion
and moral responsibility he displays in the guise of Superman.
Green Arrow #15
Sept. 2002
Art by Matt Wagner
Trapped on a deserted island, billionaire playboy Oliver Queen learned to
hunt with a bow and arrow. He escaped and became Green Arrow, a modern-day
Robin Hood who uses his unparalleled skill as an archer on behalf of the
underprivileged.
Character Shots
Batman
Art by Jim Lee & Scott Williams
After the brutal murder of his parents, young Bruce Wayne mastered nearly
every known form of combat and employed his vast wealth to equip himself with
the tools essential to his crime-fighting crusade as Gotham City's Dark
Knight, Batman.
Wonder Woman
Art by Ross Andru & Mike Esposito
Wonder Woman has been an iconic inspiration for countless women since her
debut in All Star Comics #8 in December 1941. The most recognizable female
character in comics, created by William Moulton Marston, remains a figure of
strength, beauty and courage.
Plastic Man
Art by Dick Giordano
Eel O'Brian was a small-time gangster before an accident at a chemical
plant gave him the uncanny ability to stretch and alter his shape at will.
Renouncing his criminal past, O'Brian became Plastic Man, the longest arm of
the law.
Superman
Art by Curt Swan & Sheldon Moldoff
Ever since his debut in the pages of Action Comics #1 (June 1938), the
Superman character created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster has been an icon.
The big red "S" on his shirt is among the most recognized symbols in American
pop culture.
Green Lantern
Art by Neal Adams
In 1970, writer Dennis O'Neil and artist Neal Adams launched a new era of
relevance in comics, crafting stories in which the Green Lantern --
accompanied by his friend, Green Arrow -- addressed important issues then
considered taboo for the typical "comic book."
The Flash
Art by Carmine Infantino & Murphy Anderson
An explosive mixture of lightning and laboratory chemicals endowed police
scientist Barry Allen with superhuman speed, transforming him into the "Silver
Age" Flash, the Fastest Man Alive. The Scarlet Speedster was first set into
motion in Showcase #4 (September/October 1956). (Editor's note: the Silver Age
of Comics, from the mid-1950s to the early 1970s, reflected a period of
artistic advancement and commercial success in mainstream comic books.)
Aquaman
Art by Jim Aparo
The memories of Aquaman's personal tragedies run deep after he loses his
son, his wife, and his monarchy. Nevertheless, the former King of the Seven
Seas remains determined to protect both the Atlanteans and surface dwellers
from those who endanger them.
Hawkman
Art by Murphy Anderson
Powered by the mysterious "Nth metal" in his artificial wings, Hawkman
soars through the sky above Midway City. When grounding the city's worst
predators, the Winged Wonder relies on his mastery of Earth's ancient weapons,
among them his mace and shield.
Supergirl
Art by Curt Swan & Stan Kaye
An impressionable teenager when she first arrived on Earth, Supergirl
operated as her cousin Superman's "secret weapon" while adjusting to life on
her new planet. Eventually, her existence was revealed to the world, which
welcomed the Girl of Steel with open arms.
Green Arrow
Art by Jack Kirby & Mike Royer
Green Arrow made his debut in More Fun Comics #73 (November 1941). Since
then, the Emerald Archer's most notable escapades were in stories drawn by
legendary comics creator Jack Kirby in Adventure Comics #250-256 and World's
Finest Comics #96-99 (spanning 1958-1959).
Sluggers (4)
With the issuance of the Sluggers stamps, the U.S. Postal Service
recognizes the accomplishments of four baseball greats: Mickey Mantle, Mel
Ott, Roy Campanella, and Hank Greenberg. Remembered as powerful hitters who
wowed fans with awesome and often record-breaking home runs, these four men
were also versatile players who helped to lead their teams to victory and set
impressive standards for subsequent generations.
Roy Campanella
Nicknamed "Campy," Roy Campanella (1921-1993) was the first black catcher
in the history of Major League Baseball. Known for his years with the Brooklyn
Dodgers, the famous "Boys of Summer," Campanella is remembered as a talented
all-around player. He hit 242 home runs during his ten-year Major League
career, he was a catcher in five World Series, and he was named Most Valuable
Player three times.
Born in Philadelphia, Campanella began his career by playing ball with a
semiprofessional Negro League team, the Bacharach Giants, during his teens. He
played for the Baltimore Elite Giants from 1937 to 1945 and was considered one
of the best catchers in the Negro Leagues. He also played in briefly in the
Mexican League.
Campanella began playing for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1948. During his 1953
MVP season, he hit 41 home runs, chalked up 142 RBIs, scored 103 runs, and
batted .312, considered one of the best seasons ever recorded by a catcher.
With Campanella, the "Boys of Summer" won five National League pennants
between 1949 and 1956 and won the World Series in 1955.
In 1958, Campanella was paralyzed in a car accident, but for decades he
worked behind the scenes and in community relations for the Dodgers in Los
Angeles. In 1969 he was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. In
1991, two years before he died, Campanella and his wife founded The Roy and
Roxie Campanella Physical Therapy Scholarship Foundation, which provides
support for those living with paraplegia and funds scholarships for students
who pursue degrees in physical therapy.
Hank Greenberg
As one of the all-time greatest right-handed batters, Hank Greenberg
(1911-1986) is remembered and baseball's first Jewish superstar. Twice named
Most Valuable Player, he had a career batting average of .313 and 1,276 RBIs
and was selected to four consecutive All-Star teams from 1937 to 1940.
Nicknamed "Hammerin' Hank," Bronx native Henry Benjamin Greenberg turned
down an offer from the New York Yankees and signed with the Detroit Tigers in
1930. After a short time in the minors, he began playing first base for the
Tigers in 1933 and stayed with the team for most of his career. He led the
American League in home runs and in RBIs four times each, and he was twice
named Most Valuable Player. With 58 home runs in 1938, Greenberg tied Jimmie
Foxx's home-run record for right-handed hitters, and his 11 multi-homer games
set a one-season record that still stands.
Greenberg's baseball career was interrupted 19 games into the 1941 season
when he was inducted into the U.S. Army. He was discharged on December 5,
1941, but after the United States entered World War II he enlisted as an
officer in the Air Corps and served with distinction until 1945. When
Greenberg returned to baseball later that year, he hit a home run in his first
game back. His grand slam in the ninth inning on the last day of the season
helped the Tigers win the pennant, and he hit two homers and batted in seven
runs to help propel the Tigers to victory over the Chicago Cubs in the 1945
World Series.
After joining the Pittsburgh Pirates for the 1947 season, Greenberg
retired as a player, later serving as general manager for the Cleveland
Indians and part owner and vice president of the Chicago White Sox. He was
inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1956 and the International Jewish
Sports Hall of Fame in 1979.
Mickey Mantle
Known as "The Commerce Comet," Mickey Mantle (1931-1995) was a famous
switch-hitter whose powerful home runs were matched by his impressive speed as
a runner and as an outfielder. Synonymous with the New York Yankees for nearly
two decades, Mantle was enormously popular with baseball fans, and he is still
considered one of the greatest players ever to take the field.
Born in Spavinaw, Oklahoma, and raised in Commerce, Oklahoma, Mickey
Charles Mantle was named for baseball catcher Gordon "Mickey" Cochrane. Mantle
overcame a childhood bout with the bone disease osteomyelitis to excel as an
athlete, playing with a semiprofessional baseball team by the time he was 16.
He signed with the Yankees in 1949 and began playing for the team in 1951.
In 1956 Mantle enjoyed one of the greatest seasons in baseball history,
hitting 52 homers with 130 RBIs and a .353 batting average to win the Triple
Crown. That year he also won the first of three Most Valuable Player awards,
winning again in 1957 and 1962. During his career with the Yankees, Mantle led
the league in home runs during four seasons and in runs during three seasons.
The team won 12 pennants and seven World Series titles and Mantle himself
established World Series records for runs (42), home runs (18), and RBIs (40).
By the time he retired in 1968, he had a .298 batting average, he had hit 536
home runs, and he had been named to 20 American League All-Star teams.
In 1974, the first year of his eligibility, Mantle was inducted into the
National Baseball Hall of Fame. He died of cancer in 1995.
Mel Ott
Born in Gretna, Louisiana, Mel Ott (1909-1958) is remembered for his
easygoing demeanor and his unusual but powerful high-leg-kick batting stance.
Distinguishing himself with the New York Giants for 22 seasons, Ott was the
first National League player to hit 500 home runs, and he led the league in
home runs six times.
"Master Melvin" Ott began playing for the New York Giants in 1926 and
stayed with the team for his entire career, serving as player-manager from
1942 to 1947 and as manager until midway through 1948. During the 1929 season,
he racked up an impressive 42 home runs and 151 RBIs. A solid right fielder,
he also took the league by storm with his unique left-handed batting
technique, which involved holding his hands low and lifting his front foot.
Ott set what was at the time a National League record for home runs with 511,
hitting all but 187 of them in his home park, the Polo Grounds.
With Ott in their lineup, the Giants won three pennants. In 1933 he was a
World Series hero when he hit two home runs, one of which won the fifth and
final game in the tenth inning. Ott played in three World Series and eleven
All Star games. He boasted a career batting average of .304, 511 home runs,
and 1,860 RBIs.
Mel Ott was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1951. He died in a car
accident in 1958.
The Sluggers stamps were designed by Lonnie Busch of Franklin, North
Carolina. Busch based his designs on historic photographs, simplifying and
adapting the portraits to resemble old-fashioned baseball trading cards.
American Motorcycles (4)
With the issuance of the American Motorcycles stamps, the U.S. Postal
Service recognizes the role of motorcycles in American culture with four
stamps that feature digital illustrations of a 1918 Cleveland, a 1940 Indian
Four, a 1965 Harley-Davidson Electra-Glide, and a circa 1970 chopper.
Cleveland 1918
The single-cylinder Cleveland motorcycle depicted on this stamp was built
by the Cleveland Motorcycle Manufacturing Company of Cleveland, Ohio.
Advertisements claimed that this motorcycle, which featured a 2.5-
horsepower, single-cylinder motor, could travel 75 miles on a single gallon of
gasoline and reach speeds of up to 35 to 40 miles per hour. Weighing around
150 pounds and selling for $175, the Cleveland was both lightweight and
affordable, making it a popular motorcycle of its time.
The model for the "Cleveland 1918" stamp artwork is a 1918 Cleveland A2
owned by Penny Nickerson of Long Island, New York.
Indian 1940
The motorcycle depicted on this stamp was made by the Indian Motorcycle
Company. The 1940 entry in a series of deluxe, four-cylinder motorcycles known
as the Four, this streamlined bike featured skirted fenders that partially
covered the wheels, a controversial design innovation that soon became an
Indian trademark.
The model for the illustration featured on this stamp is a motorcycle
owned by Michael and Larry Spielfogel of New York City. It is depicted in the
deep red color often associated with Indian motorcycles.
Harley-Davidson 1965
With features such as whitewall tires, extensive chrome, large fenders,
and spacious fiberglass saddlebags, the Harley-Davidson featured on this stamp
is considered by many to be one of the company's most iconic motorcycles.
Known as the Electra-Glide, this model was first manufactured in 1965, when
its new features included a push-button electric starter.
The model for the illustration featured on the Harley-Davidson 1965 stamp
is a motorcycle owned by George Tsunis of Port Jefferson, NY.
Chopper c.1970
The name "chopper" derives from the process of removing, or "chopping,"
unnecessary or unwanted components from a motorcycle. The term often indicates
an extensively customized motorcycle with such features as a stretched frame,
stepped seat, and raised handlebars. Typically, the frame has been stretched
with an extended-length fork leading to the front wheel.
Especially prominent during the 1960s and 1970s, choppers follow in a
tradition of earlier customized motorcycles that were known as "bobbers" for
their shortened, or bobbed, fenders.
The circa 1970 chopper featured on this stamp was invented by the stamp
artist in consultation with professional chopper builders. Although lacking
various safety features such as mirrors and turn signals that are required
today, this chopper would have been legal to ride circa 1970.
The digital illustrations featured on the American Motorcycles stamps were
created by Steve Buchanan of Winsted, CT. The illustrations are based on
existing restored motorcycles, reference photographs, and consultation with
owners and experts; however, some colors and design features have been altered
for artistic purposes or to maintain historical accuracy.
American Treasures: Gee's Bend Quilts (10)
The American Treasures stamp series is intended to showcase beautiful
works of American fine art and crafts. For the 2006 issuance, art director
Derry Noyes chose photographs of ten quilts created between circa 1940 and
2001 by African-American women in Gee's Bend, AL.
Located southwest of Selma, on a big bend in the meandering Alabama River,
Gee's Bend -- officially named Boykin in 1940 -- is a community made up
primarily of African Americans descended from slaves. The first slaves were
brought to this pocket of bottomland in the early 1800s, when North Carolina
planter Joseph Gee established a cotton plantation in the area. His relative,
Mark H. Pettway, brought more slaves after indebted members of the Gee family
deeded the estate to him in 1845. Today Pettway remains a common surname among
the local families.
For generations, geography has isolated "Benders," as the residents of
Gee's Bend are also known. Water surrounds the community on three sides, and
by land only one long strip of roadway (which was not paved until 1967) leads
in from the northwest. The ferry that once connected Gee's Bend with Camden,
AL, stopped running during the 1960s. Decades of separation have made it
difficult for the residents of Gee's Bend to escape poverty, but isolation has
also brought a priceless gift: the uninterrupted transmission of the quilting
tradition.
Noted for their unexpected color combinations, bold patterns, and
improvised designs, the quilts of Gee's Bend are also remarkable for the
humble materials with which they are made and the humbler circumstances in
which they are born. Until recently, necessity limited the quilters to fabric
from everyday items such as flour sacks, old dresses, and worn-out denim and
flannel work clothes. Stains, mended holes and tears, faded patches, and seams
all became integral parts of a quilt's design and ensured that the materials,
as well as the quilts, told the story of Gee's Bend.
Created for the practical purpose of keeping warm, the quilts also
demonstrate how greatly ingenuity and improvisation are prized in Gee's Bend.
Having learned from their mothers, grandmothers, and other female relations
the fundamental motifs and techniques for stitching pieces together, each
quilter is then expected to find her own manner of expression. As a result,
seemingly infinite variations have made the quilts sources of both pride and
friendly competition.
The quilts of Gee's Bend gained national attention in the late 1960s, when
some of the women joined with quilters in nearby communities to establish the
Freedom Quilting Bee in Camden, AL. Founded in 1966 with the help of Episcopal
priest and Civil Rights activist Francis X. Walter, the quilting cooperative
quickly brought recognition to Gee's Bend. Walter transported quilts to New
York City, where they were sold at auction, and within two years the
cooperative had contracts with leading decorators and large retail stores.
Many of the quilters from Gee's Bend felt constricted by the
standardization of their improvisational techniques however, and soon left the
Freedom Quilting Bee. Most preferred to give up the minimal monetary benefits
the cooperative gave them rather than lose the unique aesthetic practices that
the community had so long nurtured. Nevertheless, the women kept making
quilts, and their quilting traditions remained vibrant in the local community.
Top Row Left
"Housetop" variation by Mary Lee Bendolph (1935- ); quilted in 2001 by her
daughter, Essie Bendolph Pettway
Cotton, corduroy, twill, assorted polyesters
72 x 76 inches
Top Row Right
"Chinese Coins" variation by Arlonzia Pettway (1923- ); quilted in 1976
Corduroy, denim, cotton twill
88 x 73 inches
Second Row Left
"Roman Stripes" variation (local name: "Crazy" quilt) by Loretta
Pettway (1942- )1970
Cotton twill, denim, cotton/polyester blend, synthetic knit
86 x 70 inches
Second Row Right
Medallion with checkerboard center by Patty Ann Williams (1898-1972)
1960s
Cotton (corduroy and twill) and polyester knit
84 x 71 inches
Third Row Left
"Housetop"-four-block "Half-Log Cabin" variation by Lottie Mooney
(1908-1992)
Circa 1940
Cotton and rayon
88 x 73 inches
Third Row Right
Bars and string-pieced columns by Jessie T. Pettway (1929- )
Circa 1950
Cotton
95 x 76 inches
Fourth Row Left
"Nine Patch" by Ruth P. Mosely (1928- )
Circa 1955
Cotton and corduroy
93 x 77 inches
Fourth Row Right
Medallion by Loretta Pettway (1942- )
Circa 1960
Synthetic knit and cotton sacking material
87 x 70 inches
Fifth Row Left
"Pig in a Pen" medallion by Minnie Sue Coleman (1926- )
Circa 1970
Polyester knit and double knit
61 x 82 inches
Fifth Row Right
Blocks and strips by Annie Mae Young (1928- )
Circa 1970
Cotton, polyester, synthetic blends
83 x 80 inches
Nature of America: Southern Florida Wetland (10)
The stamp pane featuring a southern Florida wetland is the eighth in an
educational series designed to promote appreciation of major plant and animal
communities in the United States.
The subtropical wetlands of southern Florida are remnants of a great
wilderness that stretched, unbroken, for hundreds of miles until about a
century ago. They still include some of the most extensive saw grass marshes
and mangrove swamps in the world -- wetlands that support a remarkable number
of species.
The previous issuances in the Nature of America series were Sonoran Desert
(1999), Pacific Coast Rain Forest (2000), Great Plains Prairie (2001),
Longleaf Pine Forest (2002), Arctic Tundra (2003), Pacific Coral Reef (2004),
and Northeast Deciduous Forest (2005).
Much of southern Florida's natural wealth is protected in Everglades
National Park, a 1.5-million-acre preserve noted for its vast marshes and
mangrove swamps. The park's wetlands are home to hundreds of bird species and
such rare creatures as the Florida Panther and Everglades Mink. Its wetlands
are also havens for the elusive American crocodile and the more common
American Alligator -- such as the youngster eyeing the Roseate Spoonbill at
the center of the scene.
To illustrate the diversity of species associated with a wetland in
southern Florida, artist John D. Dawson depicted more than 20 different kinds
of plants and animals in his colorful painting. The scene itself is imaginary:
Such a dense grouping of plants and animals was necessary to illustrate as
many species as possible on the stamp pane. Even so, all of the species could
be encountered in or near the mixed freshwater-saltwater scene. And all of the
species and their interactions are appropriate and were recommended by
scientists.
A description of the wetland and a numbered key to the artwork appear on
the back of the stamp pane, along with a corresponding list of common and
scientific names for 21 selected species.
1. Royal Palm (Roystonea regia)
2. Snail Kite (Rostrhamus sociabilis)
3. American Crocodile (Crocodylus acutus)
4. Everglades Mink (Mustela vison)
5. Saw Grass (Cladium jamaicense)
6. West Indian Mahogany (Swietenia mahagoni)
7. Great Egret (Ardea alba)
8. Halloween Pennant Dragonfly (Celithemis eponina)
9. Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow (Ammodramus maritimus)
10. Wood Stork (Mycteria Americana)
11. Roseate Spoonbill (Ajaia ajaja)
12. American Alligator (Alligator mississippiensis)
13. Red Mangrove (Rhizophora mangle)
14. Florida Panther (Puma concolor)
15. Zebra Longwing (Heliconius charitonius)
16. Eastern Indigo Snake (Drymarchon corais)
17. Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)
18. Giant Wild Pine (Tillandsia utriculata)
19. White Ibis (Eudocimus albus)
20. Cowhorn Orchid (Cyrtopodium punctatum)
21. Leafy Vanilla Orchid (Vanilla phaeantha)
Holiday Snowflakes (4)
Snowflakes generally take one of seven basic forms. For example, stellar,
or starlike, snowflakes usually grow six primary branches that support arms,
which often develop thin plates of ice at the ends. Bitter-cold conditions
create crystals with more facets. The most symmetrical snowflakes occur during
light snowfalls when there is cold weather and little wind. If the air is
warmer, crystals tend to stick together to form less symmetrical snowflakes,
or they can take on a needlelike shape. In higher humidity, snowflakes may
branch more, making them dendritic, or plantlike, in appearance.
The Holiday Snowflakes stamps are photographs of two basic snowflake
patterns by physicist Kenneth Libbrecht. They are stellar dendrites, which
form branching treelike arms, and sectored plates, which as their name
suggests, form platelike arms. Because fallen snowflakes start to melt and
lose their shape in mere minutes, Libbrecht quickly transferred the snowflakes
from cardboard to a glass slide using a paintbrush. He then snapped the photos
inside a temperature-regulated enclosure using a digital camera attached to a
high-resolution microscope.
Falling from thousands of feet, these intricate ice crystals commonly
begin as a piece of dust tumbling through the clouds. Gathering water
molecules, they blossom into crystal forms in endlessly different patterns
because of the constantly changing conditions of the atmosphere.
Christmas: Chacon Madonna and Child with Bird
The 2006 Christmas stamp features an oil-on-canvas entitled Madonna and
Child with Bird. Dating from around 1765, the painting is attributed to
Ignacio Chacon-an artist active from about 1745 to 1775 in Cuzco, Peru. It is
now part of the Engracia and Frank Barrows Freyer Collection of Peruvian
colonial art at the Denver Art Museum. In designing the stamp, art director
Michael Osborne slightly cropped the painting's floral "frame" and surrounded
the entire composition with a gold border that echoes Chacon's use of gold-
leaf embellishments.
A famous painting by Spanish artist Bartolome Esteban Murillo entitled La
Sagrada Familia del Pajarito (The Holy Family of the Little Bird) probably
served as an indirect prototype for Chacon's Madonna and Child with Bird. The
importance of birds in Inca culture would have made the topic of Murillo's
painting particularly resonant in Peru. Birds were sacred to the Inca,
partially because of their ability to fly and move closer to Inti, the sun
god. So in Cuzco, colonial artists often incorporated birds or feathers into
images of the Virgin and Christ to indicate their divine status.
SOURCE U.S. Postal Service
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