CardCow Vintage Postcards

Steamboat Walk in the Water - 1818

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 16:25:02 +0100

Title:
Steamboat Walk in the Water - 1818
Continental Chrome PM 1989 Mar-3

Description:
First day of issue: March 3, 1989 First issue location: New Orleans, Louisiana The Walk in the Water is among the most famous scientific boats, certainly due in part to her quaint name. An Indian who had seen a steamboat described the craft to his people as the "walk in the water." This came to be a widely known nickname, and was used to christen the craft built at Black Rock, near Buffalo, in 1818. The Walk in the Water was the first steamboat to sail on Lake Erie and the upper Great Lakes, running between Buffalo and Detroit for three seasons. During her last season running, her owners operated her dangerously late into the year. On the evening of her last run, Lake Erie was in the grip of a fierce gale. THe boat developed leaks, and soon her pumps were fighting a losing battle. Her captain drop0ped anchor, and prepared for a rough night. By 4:30 the next morning, several anchor lines had snapped, and the boat had been savagely tossed ashore. Passengers, crew and much of the fittings, however, were saved. The Walk in the Water's engine was salvaged and used in two later boats and was in operation until 1902

Steamboat "Experiment"- 1788-1790 First Day of Issue: March 3, 1989

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 16:25:01 +0100

Title:
Steamboat "Experiment"- 1788-1790 First Day of Issue: March 3, 1989
Continental Chrome PM 1989 Mar-3

Description:
In the early 1780's, an inventor named John fitch and an engineer named Henry Voight built a steamboat propelled by six twelve-foot vertical oars placed on either side of the craft. She proved extremely slow, and by 1788 the two men had redesigned their vessel using three rectangular paddles operating aft of the stern rather than many oars positioned along the sides. They christened their craft the "Experiment", and put her into commercial service on the Delaware, making the trip from Philadephia to Burlington and Trenton, New Jersey. But she was just too slow for commercial operations--the steamboat trip took longer than the journey by stagecoach. Consequently, the little steamer consistently lost money on her voyages and was withdrawn from service in the summer of 1790. Nevertheless, she was a pioneer in American steamboating in two regards. She was the first vessel in American waters to actually move under her own steam, and the first commercial American steamboat

Steamboat "Phoenix" - 1809

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 16:25:00 +0100

Title:
Steamboat "Phoenix" - 1809
New Orleans (LA), Continental Chrome PM 1989 Mar-3

Description:
No.89-7. In the beginning of the steamboat era, two gentlemen by the name of Fulton and Livingston had a monopoly on steamboat operation in the New York area. John Stevens, Jr., a wealthy New Jersey inventor who had also been involved in steamboat development for many years, launched his own steamboat, the Phoenix, in defiance of the Fulton-Livingston monopoly of the area. Stevens worked his steamboat on the Hudson and in New Jersey waters for close to a year, and then decided to move her to the Delaware, far from Fulton-Livingston territory. It was a weighty decision, for it meant that the craft would have to steam through over 150 miles of open water. Nevertheless, the Phoenix put to sea, with Captain Moses Rogers as her master. Thirteen days later, after several delays due to bad weather and engine trouble, the Phoenix reached Philadelphia. The successful completion of her treacherous journey earned the little side-wheeler her place in American history. She was the first ocean-going steamboat in the world!

Steamboat "New Orleans" - 1812

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 16:24:59 +0100

Title:
Steamboat "New Orleans" - 1812
New Orleans (LA), Continental Chrome PM 1989 Mar-3

Description:
No.89-8. Nicholas J. Roosevelt had a dream: he wanted to build steamboats for use on the Mississippi River. He approached Robert Livingston and Robert Fulton, who had a monopoly on steamboat operation in New York. They were interested in establishing the same control on western rivers, and chose Nicholas Roosevelt as their western representative. Roosevelt built a flatboat and floated down the Mississippi to New Orleans. Along the way, he discussed steamboating with the rivermen, who gave him no encouragement. They believed that swift currents and shifting bottoms would make it impossible to use steamboats on the river. Nevertheless, Roosevelt built a steamboat, the New Orleans, to run the Mississippi. Her maiden voyage was adventurous and filled with near disaster, but after some three-and-a-half months, the boat reached her destination successfully. The New Orleans was immediately put into regular service and became the beginning of a mighty company that carried freight and passengers between New Orleans and Natchez, Mississippi

Steamboat Washingt - 1816

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 16:24:58 +0100

Title:
Steamboat Washingt - 1816
Continental Chrome PM 1989 Mar-3

Description:
First day of issue: March 3, 1989 First issue location: New Orleans, Louisiana When steamboats arrived on the Mississippi River, it soon became evident that the boats would have to evolve to meet the requirements of the river. A steamboat was needed that would draw less water; it had to move on the water instead of through it. The craft would need a wide, shallow hull, with heavy boilers and machinery on top of the hull rather than inside it. Captain Henry Shreve took an important step toward building such a steamboat in 1816 with the Washington. Shreve incorporated two changes. He built a deck over the hull and placed the heavy boilers on this deck, and he replaced the bulky low-pressure engine used on older steamboats with a new, high-pressure engine. Not only did the new engine produce enough power for the strong currents of the river, it also made the boat much lighter. The Washington could make the trip from New Orleans to Louisville in twenty-five days, an amazing feat in her time. The success of the Washington spurred design development, and soon other steamboats were being built like her

World Stamp Expo '89

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 16:24:57 +0100

Title:
World Stamp Expo '89
Continental Chrome PM 1989 Mar-16

Description:
First day of issue: March 16, 1989 First issue location: New York, New York In 1937, retired schoolteacher Rowland Hill proposed a prepaid penny-per-half-ounce rate for all letters, no matter what distance they traveled. The postmaster general was initially appalled by this wild, visionary and extravagant proposal, but it was adopted in 1839. Stamps and postage-paid envelopes such as those now in use were issued in 1840. Their form has changed little since. Collectors appeared immediately, soon followed by the first stamp catalogues. Today, the enormous numbers of stamp collectors, and stamps to be collected, have made the pursuit a highly organized one. Catalogues describe almost every stamp available and give current prices for each issue. Since the early 1920s, the first day issue of every stamp has been an occasion for philatelic celebration in the United States, and since 1937 the ceremonies have included the use of a special postmark. The stamp featured on this Maximus Card features a lightly smaller reproduction of the classic 90-cent Lincoln stamp originally issued in 1869

Arturo Toscanini

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 16:24:56 +0100

Title:
Arturo Toscanini
New York (NY), Continental Chrome PM 1989 Mar-25

Description:
No.89-12. Italian symphonic and operatic conductor Arturo Toscanini was a major force in molding twentieth century standards for musical performance. Born in Parma, Italy, on March 25, 1867, Toscanini was educated as a cellist and pianist. He made his debut as a conductor almost by chance while touring with an Italian opera company, when he was asked to fill in at the last minute for the conductor, a senior colleague of his. Toscanini's ability was recognized immediately, and thus began his long career. He conducted the New York Philharmonic and also was conductor for the NBC Symphony, formed especially for his recordings and his broadcast concerts. Throughout his career, he stressed that music should be performed strictly as the composer intended, and rejected views of nineteenth century idealists who permitted liberties in interpretation in the name of freedom of expression. His talent and views were well-known to the American public, and when Toscanini died on January 16, 1957, in New York City, his passing was deeply mourned

House of Representatives

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 16:24:55 +0100

Title:
House of Representatives
Continental Chrome PM 1989 Apr-4

Description:
First day of issue: April 4, 1989 First issue location: Washington, DC The stamp featured on this Maximum Card celebrates the two hundredth anniversary of the House of Representatives. Following ratification of the Constitution, the House first convened in 1789 with sixty-five members. By 1913, membership had grown to four hundred thirty-five. The House has remained at that number since, with the exception of a temporary expansion in 1959 to four hundred thirty-seven members when Hawaii and Alaska were admitted to the Union. The number of Representatives from a state is based on population, and is reapportioned after each census to maintain fair distribution. Representatives conduct business in committees and subcommittees, the most important of which are Ways and Means, Appropriations, and Rules. The House processes ten to fifteen thousand bills yearly, and enacts a large number of public and private laws. It also has the power to elect the President, should the electoral collage fail to do so, and the House alone has the power to impeach the President and other high-ranking officials

Executive Branch

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 16:24:51 +0100

Title:
Executive Branch
Mount Vernon (VA), Continental Chrome PM Apr-16

Description:
No.89-15. In 1789, George Washington became the first President of the United States. In his Inaugural Address, he entrusted the people with the sacred fire of liberty, and challenged them with the experiment of living freely under a republican form of government. The man known as the father of his country had a vision--to guide a young nation toward strength, power and durability. Unanimously elected to the Presidency, Washington's qualifications for the task couldn't have been better. He understood the problems facing the infant country. His authority rested on abilities through public service, along with the devotion of the American people which that service won him. In the words of Thomas Jefferson, "His integrity was the most pure, his justice the most inflexible I have ever known. He was, indeed, in every sense of the word, a wise, a good, and a great man." With his integrity and justice, George Washington planted the fire of liberty in the hearts of his people, to live there and grow as the nation developed

South Dakota Statehood

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 16:24:50 +0100

Title:
South Dakota Statehood
Continental Chrome PM 1989 May-3

Description:
First Day of Issue: May 3, 1989; First Issue Location: Pierre, South Dakota. South Dakota is regarded by the many people who don't know it as a mysterious, rugged, frontier state unchanged from the romantic and sometimes bloody ways of days past. A youthful state, South Dakota lacks the history of the eastern states, the Spanish traditions of the southwestern states, and the ages-old Native American culture of other parts of the country. The first Sioux tribes arrived in the area long with French explorers during the eighteenth century. The nineteenth century brought the Lewis and Clark expedition, fur trade, the gold rush to the Black Hills, Indian uprisings, and the birth of the cattle industry. It also brought heavier settlement around the turn of the century, the official end of Indian resistance, and statehood. South Dakota was admitted to the Union on November 2, 1889. After that, the twentieth century brought continued population growth, agricultural development, and an expansion of education, culture and the arts that have made the South Dakota of the old West the contemporary state of today

America's Eagle

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 16:24:49 +0100

Title:
America's Eagle
Continental Chrome PM 1989 Jul-5

Description:
First Day of Issue: July 5, 1989; First Issue Location: Washington, D.C. On June 20, 1782, the infant American government adopted The Great Seal of the United States. A symbol of the nation's independence and equality, the Seal bears the figure of an eagle, chosen to grace the Seal because of its self-reliance and proud bearing. Its presence on the face of the Great Seal of the United States made the noble eagle the symbol of the country, and also made it synonymous with strength, integrity and allegiance. The eagle on the 1 cent Penalty Mail Stamp is much like the one that graces the Great Seal. Both are displayed in heraldic style. Each holds an olive branch in its right talons and a bundle of arrows in its left, signifying a preference for peace but the capability to wage war if necessary. The eagle on the Seal holds in its beak a scroll bearing the inscription E pluribus unum - One out of many. As the eagle has proved a fitting representative of a proud country, so these words have proved a fitting pledge for the melting-pot that has evolved into one of the most powerful nations the world has known

Ernest Hemingway

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 16:24:48 +0100

Title:
Ernest Hemingway
Key West (FL), Continental Chrome PM 1989 Jul-17

Description:
No. 89-21. One of the towering literary figures of the 20th century, Ernest Hemingway received the Nobel Prize for literature in 1954. Affectionately known as "Papa," he was a master storyteller, encapsulating the most complex human dreams and fears in straightforward plots and simple words. Hemingway was born on July 21, 1899, in Oak Park, Illinois. His father was a doctor of medicine and an avid hunter and fisherman--introducing young Ernest to some of the themes which filled his later works. It was when Hemingway decided to forego college and become a reporter that he began writing, eventually guided in Paris through is first creative efforts by expatriates Ezra Pound and Gertrude Stein, then later covering the Spanish Civil War. From almost the beginning, his vast abilities were evident. His first major novel, The Sun Also Rises, made him a world literary figure at age twenty-seven. His total creative output of six novels and fifty short stories, brought to a close by ill health and suicide in 1961, is among the most influential American prose

First Moon Landing - 20 Years

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 16:24:47 +0100

Title:
First Moon Landing - 20 Years
Continental Chrome PM 1989 Jul-20

Description:
First Day of Issue: July 20, 1989; First Issue Location: Washington, D.C. On July 20, 1969, twenty years to the day before this historic Maximum Card was issued, America's Apollo 11 mission achieved the goal which had driven the U.S. space program almost from the start. With the words, "Houston, Tranquility Base here, the Eagle has landed," a small module carrying astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin alighted gracefully on the moon. An estimated five hundred million persons - one of every seven people on earth - listened as Armstrong climbed down the ladder towards the lunar surface. And all the world shared the sense of pride when he stepped off carefully and remarked, "That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind." For with his small step, mankind's long dream of standing on a world other than his own had been fulfilled. Some nineteen minutes later, Aldrin climbed out of the module, and the two Americans explored the strange world around them before returning home. This Card bears America's first-ever Priority Mail stamp, issued to commemorate their landing

North Carolina Ratifies

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 16:24:46 +0100

Title:
North Carolina Ratifies
Continental Chrome PM 1989 Aug-22

Description:
First Day of Issue: August 22, 1989; First Issue Location: Fayetteville, North Carolina. North Carolina was very active in its support for the American Revolution. When it came to ratifying the Constitution, however, the state took a more cautious tack. North Carolina contributed little to the movement for a strong federal government, and in a state convention of 1788 adamantly declined to ratify the Constitution until a Bill of Rights was introduced. A second state convention in November 1789 ratified the Constitution - and before the Bill of Rights was formally approved. But North Carolina's position as twelfth of the thirteen original states indicated its inner debate, and the state soon found itself fighting the nationalistic course of the young country. A speech to the 1788 state convention by delegate William Lenoir forms a particularly impassioned warning against an unbridled government's crushing force. "We ought to consider the depravity of human nature, the predominant thirst of power which is in the breast of everyone, the temptations our rulers may have," Lenoir cautioned. "These are the foundation of my fears."

Letter Carriers

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 16:24:45 +0100

Title:
Letter Carriers
Continental Chrome PM 1989 Aug-30

Description:
First Day of Issue: August 30, 1989 First Issue Location: Milwaukee, Wisconsin The U.S. Postal Service has no official motto. However, a quote from the Greek historian Herodotus has become well known enough to serve -- and is in fact the official creed of the National Association of Letter Carriers. "Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds," Herodotus wrote wrote, referring to the messengers of his time. But the motto still remains popular among the letter carriers of today, and the design of this Maximum Card nicely underscores its message of dedication. The three cheerful carriers on the stamp, two men and a woman, are dressed in a range of seasonal attire. The slogan "We Deliver!" at the top of the stamp is the theme of an ongoing Postal Service promotion. The First Day of Issue city of Milwaukee was the site of the first meeting of U.S. Postal Service letter carriers in 1889, when the National Association of Letter Carriers was formed -- this historic Maximum Card was issued during the centenary year celebration of the organization

The Bill of Rights

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 16:24:44 +0100

Title:
The Bill of Rights
Continental Chrome PM 1989 Sep-25

Description:
First Day of Issue: September 25, 1989 First Issue Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania The cry of freedom that rang through the first thirteen American colonies in the late 1780s was not carried by a single voice. It was the utterance of many separate voices, all crying for liberty. Yet many were uncertain just what liberty would mean, or how long it would last, and were hesitant to put their trust in a new administration. Post-revolutionary Americans wanted a guarantee that their national government would never turn against the premise it was founded on -- individual freedom. Thus, ten amendments to the Constitution listing specific basic freedoms and procedural safeguards were adopted. The amendments, called the Bill of Rights, specify freedoms and protections that are the core of American civil liberty and affirm that the individual may never be deprived by governmental power. The artwork on this Maximum Card shows Federal Hall in New York City, where America's First Congress drafted the Bill of Rights

Sitting Bull

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 16:24:43 +0100

Title:
Sitting Bull
Continental Chrome PM 1989 Sep-14

Description:
Sitting Bull. First Day of Issue: September 14, 1989. First Issue Location: Rapid City, South Dakota

Tyrannosaurus Postage Stamp

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 16:24:42 +0100

Title:
Tyrannosaurus Postage Stamp
Continental Chrome PM 1989 Oct-1

Description:
First Day of Issue: October 1, 1989 First Issue Location: Lake Bueno Vista, Florida The largest flesh eating animal that ever lived, the dinosaur tyrannosaurus was a forty five foot long terror that preyed on its lumbering, plant eating cousins. Tyrannosaurus stood almost twenty feet high, and ahd a four foot head whose mouth was armed with six inch long, dagger-like teeth. It had ridiculously small front legs, useless except perhaps for grabbing things at close range. Its lengthy tail served as a counterbalance to its great body. Tyrannosaurus was very muscular, especially in the mouth region, where it had massive muscles for biting and chewing. It also had powerful rear legs for support and mobility. Even in its own time, tyrannosaurus was most likely a rare animal, with only one of these monsters stalking every hundred square miles. These creatures survived until late in the Cretaceous period of the Mesozoic era, about sixty-five million years ago, when for reasons still unknown the dinosaurs vanished

Pteranodon

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 16:24:41 +0100

Title:
Pteranodon
Continental Chrome PM 1989 Oct-1

Description:
First Date of Issue: October 1, 1989 First Issue Location: Lake Buena Vista, Florida The swamplands of prehistoric North America teamed with life. Snakes glided through murky waters, forty-foot crocodiles lived along the shores, and flying reptiles called Pterosaurs glided overhead on leathery wings. Pteranodon, one of the largest of the Pterosaurs, had a wingspan of about forty feet and long, toothless jaws. Since Pteranodon's small body was only about as large as a modern turkey's, the animal's enormous wings had relatively little weight to carry, and pteranodon could glide through the air with great ease. Scientists believe that gliding was pteranodon's sole means of propulsion through the air -- the creature had no "keel," to which the powerful flight muscles of birds are attached, so it is not likely that it could flap its wings. And because fossilized pteranodons are found frequently in oceanic rock formations, it seems probable that the animal was a marine hunter. It isn't hard to imagine pteranodon soaring over the waters, scooping into its pelican-like jaws any prehistoric fish which strayed too close to the surface

Stegosaurus

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 16:24:40 +0100

Title:
Stegosaurus
Continental Chrome PM 1989 Oct-1

Description:
First day of issue: October 1, 1989 First issue location: Lake Buena Vista, Florida The fact that the twenty-foot stegosaurus had a comparatively tiny head is not surprising considering the fact that its brain was about the size of a walnut. Because of the minuscule size of its gray matter, this enormous animal is thought to have possessed a very low intelligence, as is believed to be the case with most dinosaurs. However, stegosaurus displayed an impressive suit of armor that placed it among the most imposing of dinosaurs - two rows of large, triangular plates protected its backbone and spinal chord, and long, pointed spikes on its tail were a lethal weapon against attackers. Stegosaurus' terrible tail was not controlled by its tiny brain, but by a nerve center located near its hip which appeared to function as a "second brain." Here, the spinal cord enlarged to almost twenty times bigger than the animal's brain, and controlled its stocky legs as well as its tail. This lower nerve center gave rise to an early misconception that the hugh creature, believed to have been very dumb, actually had two brains

Brontosaurus Postage Stamp

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 16:24:39 +0100

Title:
Brontosaurus Postage Stamp
Continental Chrome PM 1989 Oct-1

Description:
First Day of Issue: October 1, 1989 First Issue Location: Lake Buena Vista, Florida

Hopi Kachina Dancer

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 16:24:38 +0100

Title:
Hopi Kachina Dancer
Continental Chrome PM 1989 Oct-12

Description:
Hopi Kachina Dancer. First Day of Issue: October 12, 1989. First Issue Location: San Juan, Puerto Rico

Key Marco Mask

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 16:24:37 +0100

Title:
Key Marco Mask
San Juan (PR), Continental Chrome PM 1989 Oct-12

Description:
No. 89-31. Digging at Key Marco, Florida, in 1896, American archaeologist Frank Hamilton Cushing uncovered several pre-Columbian Indian masks and the fascinating ceremonial carved wood figure now known as the Key Marco Cat. The masks and cat are among the few known remains of the ancient Calusa culture, which at one time thrived along the southwest coast of Florida, together with all the outlying keys. A maritime people, the Calusa Indians made tools and weapons of seashells and fishbones. They were fierce fighters and accomplished seamen, paddling their dugout canoes around much of the Florida coast, and journeying to Cuba and other Caribbean islands to trade in fish, skins, and amber. The Calusa disappeared during the 18th century--possibly fleeing to Cuba. The Key Marco Cat shown on the 45c Pre-Columbian Artifact Airmail stamp was one of their ceremonial figures--and the stamp is part of the America series. The mask shown in the cachet is based on masks used by the Calusa in their ritual processions

Christmas Traditional

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 16:24:36 +0100

Title:
Christmas Traditional
Continental Chrome PM 1989 Oct-19

Description:
Christmas Traditional First Day of Issue: October 19, 1989 First Issue Location. Washington, D.C. No figures in the Christmas story are more enchanting than the choirs of angels. They burst upon the simple shepherds with a joy that proclaims the glory of God, while also speaking of his care for humanity. During the first four Christian centuries, angels were shown only as described in Scripture - handsome, beardless, ordinarily attired, and standing or moving human-like upon the ground. As Christian beliefs about angels began to merge with those in the surrounding world, wings appeared. In the Middle Ages, angels turned severe-looking. With the Renaissance, the facial features softened and angels became joyous boys with curling hair - in time turning feminine in appearance. In his cachet artwork for this Maximum Card, which bears America's 1989 Christmas Traditional stamp in sheet and booklet versions, artist Tom McNeely captures angels at the height of western tradition - glowing with gold and light, and proclaiming with their celestial music the message of "Peace on earth, good will to men."

Extraordinary

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 16:24:34 +0100

Title:
Extraordinary
Continental Chrome PM 1989 Nov-10

Description:
First day of issue: November 10, 1989 First issue location: Virginia Beach, Virginia The US Postal Service calls the stamp on this Maximum Card EXTRAordinary, and it is absolutely right. The highly unusual 25 cent pressure-sensitive stamp, with its depiction of a bold American eagle, contains many "extra" features not found in regular "lick and stick" issues. Because it was designed to be peeled off a paper backing and affixed by finger pressure, the stamp was "extra" sanitary - no licking involved. Because the paper backing covered the sticky surface of the stamps until the stamps were used, stored stamps couldn't accidentally bind together no matter how humid the weather - hence were "extra" moisture resistant. And the strong adhesive on the back of the stamps and lack of connecting perforations made the stamps "extra" easy and safe to use. Issued during First Day ceremonies commemorating the stamp show VAPEX '89 in Virginia Beach, Virginia, the EXTRAordinary issue is complemented on this Maximum Card by a patriotic eagle artwork by Basil Smith

Christmas Contemporary

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 16:24:34 +0100

Title:
Christmas Contemporary
Continental Chrome PM 1989 Oct-19

Description:
First Day of Issue: October 19, 1989 First Issue Location: Washington, DC For twenty-eight Christmas seasons, American's Christmas stamps have brightened the holidays. And in 1989 the legacy continued -- though with a new twist adapted to America's changing needs. For the first time, the two annual Christmas stamps -- traditional and contemporary -- were issued in two formats: sheet and booklet, creating four new stamps for 1989. The new booklet format made it easier for holiday mailers to purchase their Christmas stamps through automated vending machines in post offices and stores. The appearance of the booklet also led to another interesting first -- the U.S. Postal Service split the printing of the 1989 Christmas issue between its usual government printer and a private company. American Bank Note Company, the private firm which produced the contemporary sheet, printed it in five colors rather than the usual four, giving the 1989 contemporary sheet stamp quite a different appearance than the booklet version. Both are presented on this Maximum Card -- the American Bank Note stamp contains magenta

Classic Mail Transportation

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 16:24:33 +0100

Title:
Classic Mail Transportation
Continental Chrome PM 1989 Nov-19

Description:
First Day of Issue: November 19, 1989; First Issue Location: Washington, D.C. Postal service and delivery have come a long way since ancient runners memorized messages or carried them by hand. Today, with the help of the airplane, correspondence is routinely flown across continents and even the wide oceans in a matter of hours. The maiden voyage of airplane mail flight was made only eight years after the Wright brothers flew their first frail plane at Kitty Hawk. In 1918, the world's first regular airmail service commenced with a flight between New York City and Washington, D.C. By 1939, routine service across the North Atlantic was instituted, and soon daring mail pilots were blazing new routes to the remotest ends of the earth. The cachet on this Maximum Card pictures a celebration of the takeover of airmail routes by civilian post Office flyers. Previously, airmail had been flown by military pilots. Seated in the plane is Ed Gardner, an early airmail flyer. The man standing at the center of the picture with his coat over his arm is Ben Lipsner, who was the Superintendent of the Aerial Mail Service

The Curtiss Jenny Biplane 25c First Day of Issue

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 16:24:32 +0100

Title:
The Curtiss Jenny Biplane 25c First Day of Issue
Continental Chrome PM 1989 Nov-19

Description:
pioneered airmail transport. On May 15, 1918, the first regular airmail service in the United States ws begun between New York and Washington DC. This stamp was designed by Mark Hess

Classic Mail Transportation

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 16:24:31 +0100

Title:
Classic Mail Transportation
Continental Chrome PM 1989 Nov-19

Description:
First Day of Issue: November 19, 1989 First Issue Location: Washington, DC In 1794, Congress authorized the postmaster general to use stagecoaches to transport the mail because the volume had become far too great for it to be carried efficiently over long distances on horseback. Another reason for authorizing the stagecoach as a method of mail delivery was to encourage the coach lines to go places they might otherwise not have gone, and this encouragement proved largely successful. In time, daring, dedicated and resourceful stagecoach drivers were delivering mail throughout the United States. Pictured on the cachet for this Maximum Card is Ben Holladay, who operated the Overland Stageline. His stagecoaches virtually monopolized the eastern half of the central overland route, an advantage that Holladay maintained through piratical methods against his competitors. Still, in spite of, or perhaps because of imperious characters like Ben Holladay, stagecoaches gave American mail transportation an adventurous aura before they lapsed into history

Stagecoaches Transported Mail 25c First Day of Issue

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 16:24:30 +0100

Title:
Stagecoaches Transported Mail 25c First Day of Issue
Continental Chrome PM 1989 Nov-19

Description:
to link the middle section of the United States to the Pacific Coast in the 1850's and 1860'2. The heyday of the overland stage lines ended in 1869 when the first transcontinental railroad crossed the United States. This stamp was designed by Mark Hess

Classic Mail Transportation

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 16:24:29 +0100

Title:
Classic Mail Transportation
Continental Chrome PM 1989 Nov-19

Description:
First Day of Issue: November 19, 1989; First Issue Location: Washington, D.C.; Beginning in 1813, Congress gave the go-ahead for the Postal Service to use steamboats for carrying mail. By 1847, five domestic steamboat lines commanded by expert pilots operated under contract with the U.S. Postal Service. Furthermore, as the American oceangoing steamship industry grew in importance and girdled the globe, the Postal Service soon had four steamships running from New York City to Germany and France. on the cachet for this Maximum Card, an old timer fondly remembers tales of the days of steamboats, like the Vicksburg, and riverboat pilots like Mark Twain, pictured in the lower right-hand corner. It was a romantic age on a grand scale, but even as the steamboat era hit its peak, Civil War broke out in the United States. Steamships were pulled from the Atlantic, and the government subsidies that supported domestic steamboat companies were not renewed. This proved a fatal blow for America's domestic steamboats. After the war, the postal administration switched to trains to carry the mail

The Steamboat - First Day of Issue November 19, 1989 25c

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 16:24:28 +0100

Title:
The Steamboat - First Day of Issue November 19, 1989 25c
Continental Chrome PM 1989 Nov-19

Description:
In the 19th century, the steamboat was used to transport mail to river towns along inland waterways. Steamboats transformed uncharted waterways into America's first superhighways and helped impart, for the first time, a "national" feeling even amont settlers in the country's most distant outposts. The stamp was designed by Mark Hess

Future Mail Transportation

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 16:24:27 +0100

Title:
Future Mail Transportation
Continental Chrome PM 1989 Nov-27

Description:
First Day of Issue: November 27, 1989 First Issue Location: Washington, DC The way mail is delivered in the United States has evolved through the years paralleling innovations in transportation. Inventions like the steamboat, train, automobile and airplane obviously brought about changes in the way mail was delivered. In the same way, it is quite possible that today's developments in space exploration will affect the way mail will be delivered in the future. The twenty-four successful space shuttle missions completed between April, 1981 and January, 1986 carried 126 astronauts and payload specialists into orbit, and launched twenty-eight satellites. Further progress on the space shuttle may make it an integral part of the mail delivery system of the future. The letter might be carried by hand to the post office, by mail jeep to the airport, by airplane to the launch site, and from there to its final destination via the space shuttle. If this possibility seems unlikely, remember that the idea of sending a letter to the other side of the globe overnight once seemed farfetched, too. Now, people do it every day

USAirmail

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 16:24:26 +0100

Title:
USAirmail
Continental Chrome PM 1989 Nov-27

Description:
How mail may be transported in the future -- a hypersonic airliner soaring through space. The stamp was designed by Ken Hodges

Future Mail Transportation

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 16:24:25 +0100

Title:
Future Mail Transportation
Continental Chrome PM 1989 Nov-27

Description:
First Day of Issue: November 27, 1989 First Issue Location: Washington, DC Can you imagine a young moon child, nose pressed against space station window glass, anxiously awaiting a birthday gift from grandma? A popular thesis on building communities in outer space suggests a mining colony on the moon to mine aluminum and titanium for structural shells, silicon for solar cells, silica for making glass, and oxygen, the most common element in moonrock, for life-support systems and rocket propellant. These raw materials would supply space station building sites in the furthest reaches of the universe. If such a mining colony were established, "moon miners" would undoubtedly want to keep in touch with family and friends back on earth. And grandmas would definitely want to send packages to grandchildren, even on the moon, so a postal system would be a must. Mail would obviously reach the moon via spacecraft, and once on the moon a lunar rover like the one illustrated on this Maximum Card would take the place of the trusty, earthbound mail jeep to deliver letters and packages to lunar addresses

Future Mail Transportation

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 16:24:24 +0100

Title:
Future Mail Transportation
Continental Chrome PM 1989 Nov-27

Description:
First Day of Issue: November 27, 1989 First Issue Location: Washington, D.C. If the possibilities of space are developed to their fullest, space shuttles may one day carry mail to people living in huge scientific and industrial communities set up throughout the solar system - and beyond. Assuming it proves possible and profitable to build such communities, exciting new technology might come into use, making space stations the means of expanding new scientific and industrial revolutions. Space stations in near-earth orbit already benefit from low gravity conditions, access to the vacuum of space and other extraterrestrial resources. Giant industrial space stations would share these advantages and produce benefits for earth. There would be no need for nuclear power stations on earth, solving problems of radioactive waste disposal, and people would be much less dependent on oil, coal and natural gas, which would create a cleaner world. If the benefits are positive enough to warrant implementation of ideas like industrial colonies in space, mail may indeed one day be posted to interstellar addresses

Mail Being Transported in the Future Postage Stamp

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 16:24:24 +0100

Title:
Mail Being Transported in the Future Postage Stamp
Continental Chrome PM 1989 Nov-27

Description:
First Day of Issue How mail may be transported in the future-- a surface rover vehicle enroute to deliver mail to a space colony. The stamp was designed by Ken Hodges

Mail Transportation of the Future - Space Shuttle edition 45c First Day of Issue

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 16:24:23 +0100

Title:
Mail Transportation of the Future - Space Shuttle edition 45c First Day of Issue
Continental Chrome PM 1989 Nov-27

Description:
How mail may be transported in the future - a space shuttle involved in mail transfer to an orbiting space station. The stamp was designed by Ken Hodges

Civil Defense

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 16:24:22 +0100

Title:
Civil Defense
Continental Chrome PM 1991 Sep-3

Description:
First Day of Issue: September 3, 1991; First Issue Location: Phoenix, Arizona. Seven months before America officially entered the Second World War with the disaster at Pearl Harbor, the Office of Civilian Defense was formed. From the outset, the OCD was an organization which made good use of civilian patriots wanting to defend their country. The agency prepared evacuation and disaster plans, recruited members to act as air-raid wardens, ambulance drivers and air-raid spotters. Air-raid wardens played a particularly crucial role in civil defense. The wardens were given responsibility for different segments of a community and tasked with keeping all the lights snuffed during the intermittent nighttime blackouts. They wore white helmets and arm bands for easy identification. The OCD also acted as a public information agency, publishing air-raid "how-to" pamphlets and encouraging its members to take first-aid training. And although disaster never came to America's shores during the Second World War, thanks to the OCD, millions of Americans were prepared to weather the worst

The Liberty Ships

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 16:24:21 +0100

Title:
The Liberty Ships
Phoenix (AZ), Continental Chrome PM 1991 Sep-3

Description:
No.91-66. A host of logistical problems faced America in the early years of the Second World War. Not the least of these was crossing the thousands of miles of open ocean to supply a steady flow of material to the battlefields. The vast waters teemed with deadly traps: German U-boats prowled below and floating mines promised tragedy. Consequently, the United States needed able ships and needed them posthaste, for they were often destroyed as quickly as they were built. The well-known industrialist Henry J. Kaiser was contracted to supervise the mass production of hundreds of merchant-marine freighters aptly tagged "Liberty Ships." Kaiser had proven himself as a leading industrial mind early on, having played key roles in the construction of such monumental projects as Hoover and Shasta dams. Under his direction, the time it took to build one ship was cut from one hundred fifty days to--in one remarkable case--four and a half days. During the war, Kaiser built and operated seven shipyards, where his men mass produced a total of 1,490 ships

Japanese Bomb Pearl Harbor

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 16:24:20 +0100

Title:
Japanese Bomb Pearl Harbor
Phoenix (AZ), Continental Chrome PM 1991 Sep-3

Description:
No. 91-67. The morning of December 7, 1941 was like so many in the tropics...quiet, almost lazy--a Sunday. But less than two hours after dawn, it became a Sunday like no other. Before many of the American servicemen stationed at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, had risen, the harbor and surrounding fields were under enemy air attack. Striking with deadly efficiency, Japanese planes hit Wheeler, Hickam and Bellows fields and pounded into American warships anchored off Ford Island in Pearl Harbor. So shocking was this initial attack that only nine enemy planes were shot out of the once-serene tropical sky. The next wave came less than an hour later, pounding into crippled battleships and destroying grounded American aircraft. With one well-planned and flawlessly executed blow, the Japanese sent American naval power reeling. The carnage was incredible: 2,403 American men and women were killed; the warships U.S.S. Arizona, U.S.S. West Virginia, U.S.S. California, U.S.S. Utah and U.S.S. Oklahoma were knocked out of action

United States Declares War Upon Japan

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 16:24:19 +0100

Title:
United States Declares War Upon Japan
Phoenix (AZ), Continental Chrome PM 1981 Sep-3

Description:
No.91-68. "Yesterday, December 7, 1941--a date which will live in infamy--the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan." With these timeless words, U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt appeared before a joint session of Congress on December 8, 1941. In a pointed, moving speech, Roosevelt, drawn and haggard from a night with little sleep, continued: "I ask that the Congress declare that since the unprovoked and dastardly attack on Sunday, December 7, a state of war has existed between the United States and the Japanese Empire." Only thirty-three minutes later, Congress passed a declaration of war with Japan. That same day, a resolute FDR signed the declaration and America entered the Second World War. Surprisingly, Roosevelt's words were a little different in the first draft of the Congress message. After the initial draft, the words "...a date which will live in world history" were changed to the famous and powerful "...a date which will live in infamy..."

Burma Road, 717-Mile Lifeline to China

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 16:24:18 +0100

Title:
Burma Road, 717-Mile Lifeline to China
Phoenix (AZ), Continental Chrome PM 1991 Sep-3

Description:
No.91-59. Burma in the spring of 1942 was a prize coveted by two forces: the Japanese and the Allies. Within Burma's boundaries lay rich mineral and oil reserves, the country also produced major quantities of rice. If the Japanese captured the country, a vital link between China and India would be severed and the two countries would be susceptible to invasions. If the Allies held their positions, they could see that supplies continued to trickle into China via the Burma Road. Unfortunately, the Japanese were much better prepared for taking Burma and closing the Burma Road than the Allies were to defend it. In May 1942, U.S. Lt. General Joseph Stilwell was driven from Burma, but he returned as the head of a Chinese division in October 1943. An acerbic man who was often at odds with China's Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek and his own subordinate, General Claire Lee Chennault, Stilwell nevertheless was a capable leader. Allied forces thus prevailed, partially opening the Burma Road in January 1945

Peacetime draft

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 16:24:16 +0100

Title:
Peacetime draft
Continental Chrome PM 1991 Sep-3

Description:
First day of issue: September 3, 1991 First issue location: Phoenix, Arizona One of the most controversial bits of legislation to ever enter the hallowed halls of Congress was the Selective Training and Service Act of 1940. Only after weeks of intense and heated debate did it pass. The new law required men between the ages of twenty-one and thirty-five to register at local draft boards across the country on October 16 - over sixteen million men registered. Two weeks later, U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt watched as Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson - blind-folded with a swatch of cloth from a chair sued by the signers of the Declaration of Independence - plucked the first number in the draft from a bowl filled with capsules numbered 1 to 8,994. The number was one hundred fifty-eight; 6,175 men across the nation held that honor. In all, some sixteen million Americans served their country during the war. Some were volunteers, but the vast majority were drafted under the terms of that controversial act of 1940

Atlantic Charter

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 16:24:15 +0100

Title:
Atlantic Charter
Continental Chrome PM 1991 Sep-3

Description:
First Day of Issue: September 3, 1991 First Issue Location: Phoenix, Arizona During his second term in office, U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt watched Adolf Hitler tighten his grip on Germany with growing alarm. When Europe went to war in 1939, Roosevelt sought to show support for the Allied nations battling Axis aggression while conforming to America's policy of strict isolationism. By the summer of 1941, Great Britain had been at war with Germany for nearly two years. Prime Minister Winston Churchill knew his country needed the bolstering support of its western cousin, the United States. In August of 1941, President Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill met aboard the warships U.S.S. Augusta and H.M.S. Prince of Wales in Newfoundland's Placentia Bay. On August 14, the two leaders issued a statement subsequently called the Atlantic Charter which called for the destruction of Nazi tyranny, affirmed the rights of each nation to political self-determination and called for the disarmament of all potential aggressors

Lend-Lease Act

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 16:24:14 +0100

Title:
Lend-Lease Act
Continental Chrome PM 1991 Sep-3

Description:
First day of issue: September 3, 1991 First issue location: Phoenix, Arizona It was after US President Franklin D. Roosevelt's homey analogy of lending a neighbor a garden hose to put out a fire that Americans came around to the concept of Lend-Lease. Though some agreed with Senator Burton K. Wheeler of Montana that the Lend-Lease agreement would "plow under every fourth American boy," Congress passed the Lend-Lease bill in March 1941. Thus, the United States became the life-support system for democracy and freedom. In all, more than $50 billion was distributed to the Allied countries during World War II. The bulk of this went to the British Empire, which included Australia, Canada, India and New Zealand. The Soviet Union, France and China were also given aid. Smaller countries received more than $1 billion in Lend-Lease goods. Among these forces were Mexico, countries in the Caribbean and some of the smaller European countries. This was what British Prime Minister Winston S. Churchill referred to as "the most unsordid act in the history of any nation."

Arsenal of Democracy

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 16:24:13 +0100

Title:
Arsenal of Democracy
Continental Chrome PM 1991 Sep-3

Description:
First Day of Issue: September 3, 1991; First Issue Location: Phoenix, Arizona. The United States move done step closer to war when it approved the transfer of approximately fifty older ships to Great Britain on September 3, 1940 in exchange for leases on British military installations. In one of the biggest political gambles of history, U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt concluded the Destroyers for Bases Deal just a few months before the general election and his bid for a third term as President. Roosevelt recognized that without such aid, democracy was likely doomed. With it, the struggle against the bloated Axis powers could continue. The deal would become just one of many ways that the nation aided its friends in the fight against tyranny. Despite intense criticism from many, Roosevelt continued in his pledge of aid to Great Britain and its allies. In one of his legendary fireside chats on December 29, 1940, the President first used the term which would become synonymous with America's entire focus throughout the war: the Great Arsenal of Democracy

U.S.S. Reuben James Sunk

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 16:24:12 +0100

Title:
U.S.S. Reuben James Sunk
Continental Chrome PM 1991 Sep-3

Description:
First Day of Issue: September 3, 1991. First Issue Location: Phoenix, Arizona. The waters of the Atlantic in 1941 were becoming deadly waters, especially for convoys carrying Lend-Lease goods from the United States to Great Britain. To protect the convoys, American warships sailed as escort until their British counterparts could provide protection to the island nation. Germany voted to stop the flow of materiel at any cost and their deadly U-boats threatened to do just that. On October 17, 1941, the destroyer U.S.S. Kearney was hit and damaged by a German torpedo. Eleven men died and the Kearney was temporarily knocked out of action. But this was just the beginning. On the morning of October 31, 1941, the twenty-one year old destroyer U.S.S. Reuben James was escorting a convoy off Iceland when it was hit by a torpedo fired from a German U-boat commanded by Erich Topp. The torpedo took the venerable destroyer just below the bridge, igniting the ship in a horrific explosion. The ship sank in only minutes, taking one hundred fifteen men along with her. The U.S. eased closer still to war

District of Columbia

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 16:24:11 +0100

Title:
District of Columbia
Continental Chrome PM 1991 Sep-7

Description:
First Day of Issue: September 7, 1991 First Issue Location: Washington, DC After the Revolutionary War, Congress decided that the federal government needed a permanent home. Secretary of Treasury Alexander Hamilton suggested that the capital be built on federal land, and in 1791 President George Washington selected territory along the Potomac River -- ceded from both Maryland and Virginia. In 1800 the federal government took up residence in Washington City, in the newly-established District of Columbia. The city -- initially governed by Congress and later by Congressionally-appointed commissioners -- underwent massive changes during the next one hundred years. The British set fire to the city in 1814, burning both the Capitol and President's Residence. Enormous growth following the Civil War and both World Wars expanded the city's population base, and local clamors for equal political participation were finally heard in 1964 -- when District residents cast their first Presidential election ballots. The stamp and design on this Maximum Card celebrate the Bicentennial of the District of Columbia and salute its proud history

Jan Matzelger

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 16:24:10 +0100

Title:
Jan Matzelger
Continental Chrome PM 1991 Sep-15

Description:
First day of issue: September 15, 1991 First issue location: Lynn, Massachusetts In 1883 Jan Ernst Matzeliger patented a machine which mechanically shaped the upper portions of shoes, enabling manufacturers to mass-produce footwear at less cost to the consumer. Born in 1852 to a Dutch father anda black Suranamese mother, Matzeliger spent his childhood in Paramaribo, Surinam. In 1877 he moved to Lynn, Massachusetts, finding employment in a local shoe factory. Matzeliger labored for ore than six months to produce a wooden model of a shoe-lasting machine. On March 20, 1883, he received a patent for the invention and within two years his machine supplanted the industry's hand methods. Unable to produce and market the machine himself, Matzeliger sold the patent in 1885. Four years later tuberculosis claimed Matzeligter, who received only marginal proceeds from the great profits his invention ultimately generated. The stamp and design on this Maximum Card honor Jan Matzeliger, whose creative genius refashioned the shoe industry and left an indelible mark in the annals of Black History