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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		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 Consequently, the little steamer consistently lost money on her voyages and was withdrawn from service in the summer of 1790.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

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!		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

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		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


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		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

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		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

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		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

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		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."

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		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

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		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

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		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

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		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

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		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."

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		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

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		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

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		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

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		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

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		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

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		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

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		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

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		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

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		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..."

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		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

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		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."

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		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

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		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

Title: American symbols Continental Chrome PM 1991 Sep-27 Description: First Day of Issue: September 27, 1991 First Issue Location: Washington DC Throughout the history of the United States, many images have come to symbolize the ideals of the nation. But since the nation's history began, the American flag and the bald Eagle have been held in reverence as the very essence of the nation. America's first national flag was raised on a hill near Boston on January 4, 1776, but the troops of General George Washington. Through the years, the design of the flag took on many new images, but in 1818, the original 13-stripe design was retained, with one star on a field of blue to represent each state. The bald eagle, too, is symbolic of the mighty, peace-loving nation. For example, on June 20, 1782, the infant American government adopted the Great Seal of the United States. An image of the nation's independence and equality, the Seal bears the figure of an Eagle, chosen to grace the Seal for its self-reliance and proud bearing. Together, the flag and the Eagle represent liberty, justice, independence and freedom in their own manner. Both fly high in the hearts of Americans		Title: Salute to the Olympics Orlando (FL), Continental Chrome PM 1991 Sep-29 Description: No. 91-72. First Day of Issue: September 29, 1991. Initiated in 776 B.C. to honor Zeus, the ancient Olympic Games consisted of a single footrace which spanned the length of the stadium. Eventually discus and javelin throws, boxing, wrestling, and other track and field events joined the lists. Held in the highest esteem, Olympic champions often became national heroes--their accomplishments lauded by poets and their physical beauty immortalized in marble sculptures. The Games steadily declined after Rome subjugated Greece in 146 B.C., and two centuries later Emperor Theodosius I abolished the Olympics entirely. During the late 19th century, Baron Pierre de Coubertin sought to revive the amateur competitions for the promotion of international brotherhood and goodwill. In 1896 his efforts culminated in the first modern Olympic games held since A.D. 393. The Games continue to be held at four-year intervals in various cities throughout the world. Unable to observe or participate in the ancient Olympics, women formally entered the Games in 1912

Title: Moon with Lunar Orbiter Postage Stamp Continental Chrome PM 1991 Oct-1 Description: First Day of Issue: October 1, 1991 First Issue Location: Pasadena, California From 1966 to 1967- coming as close as 29 miles to the lunar surface- NASA's Lunar orbiters photographed 99% of the Moon, including both polar regions and the mysterious dark side. It was an amazing feat considering that three of the five Orbiters experienced equipment failures. From the high-resolution photographs, maps 100 times more accurate than previously possible were created, and several primary landing sites for upcoming Apollo missions were chosen. NASA didn't take any chances-- it was vital to avoid locations where craters, rocks, and holes filled with dust could be hazardous to the lunar module. Thus, when the Apollo 11 astronauts made their historic trip, their landing site was the basaltic surface of the Sea of Tranquillity, an area shown to be virturally crater-free by the Lunar Orbiters. As a result, when astronaut Neil Armstrong made his "giant leap for mankind," he was following in the figurative footsteps of the intrepid Lunar Orbiters, which had blazed a safe trail for him and all subsequent Apollo astronauts		Title: Mercury with Mariner 10 Continental Chrome PM 1991 Oct-1 Description: First Date of Issue: October 1, 1991 First Issue Location: Pasadena, California Launched in November 1973, Mariner 10 approached Mercury on three separate occasions through March 1975, coming as close as 200 miles to the planet's surface and sending back data and photographs that show a world with amazing contrasts. Mercury has an ancient surface resembling Earth's Moon, heavily scarred by meteorite impacts. One such crater is more than 500 miles across. The planet is also characterized by a feature unique to the Solar System -- long, curved scarps (cliffs) that appear to be the result of compression on the planet's crust as it cooled. But on Mercury, cool is a relative term: the planet's surface temperature on the side facing the sun is 950 degrees F. In contrast, Mercury's tenuous atmosphere of argon, neon and helium -- a trillionth the density of Earth's atmosphere -- retains virtually no heat on the planet's night side, with a resulting temperature of -350 degrees F. Mariner 10 also revealed that Mercury has a weak magnetic field, and that the small planet's core is likely comprised of iron

Title: New York Stock Exchange Postage Stamp Continental Chrome PM 1992 May-17 Description: First Day of Issue: May 17, 1992 First Issue Location: New York, New York		Title: Bicentennial of the White House Continental Chrome PM 1992 Apr-23 Description: First day of issue: April 23, 1992 First issue location: Washington, DC In a neighborhood of stern-looking red brick monoliths, architect James Hoban's vision was as visible as a single cloud in an all-blue sky. Built of grayish-white limestone in 1792, the house on 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, DC, has an obvious name: the White House. It is a simple name for a mansion which has housed some of the nation's greatest men. Hoban envisioned a mansion in the Neoclassical style with three stories and 100 rooms. Built on a site selected by George Washington, the White House was originally called the President's House. It was not until the term of Theodore Roosevelt that the nickname White House became official. John Adams became the first president to live in the Executive Mansion after its completion in 1800. In 1814, the mansion was sacked and burned by the invading British, but rebuilt. Many presidents have basked in the history of the place, yet they have remained humble. "I never forget that I live in a house owned by all the American people..." remarked Franklin D. Roosevelt once

Title: 50th Anniversary of the Alcan Highway (AK), Continental Chrome PM 1992 May-30 Description: First Day of Issue: May 30, 1992. First Issue Location: Fairbanks, Alaska		Title: Kentucky Bicentennial Continental Chrome PM 1992 Jun-1 Description: First Day of Issue: June 1, 1992; First Issue Location: Danville, Kentucky. Fine horses, smooth whiskey and sweet bluegrass are Kentucky's hallmarks. Few Americans are unfamiliar with Kentucky's reputation as the top horse-breeding state; equally famous is the Bourbon whiskey named for the county where it was developed. And of course, the lush grass which carpets the landscape in velvet blue-green truly justifies the pioneers' opinion that "Kaintuckee" was the promised land. More than 200 years ago, a legendary man named Daniel Boone entered into the region now known as eastern Kentucky. He stayed for two years and when he returned to the settlements to the east, his stories enticed others to venture westward. By 1792, when Kentucky became the 15th state in the budding nation, she claimed more than 75,000 citizens. Decades later, when war threatened, President Abraham Lincoln vowed to keep his native state part of the Union: "I hope to have God on my side, but I must have Kentucky." Today, the state of pioneers and presidents celebrates its bicentennial

Title: Women's Gymnastics Continental Chrome PM 1992 Jun-11 Description: First Day of Issue: June 11, 1992. First Issue Location: Baltimore, Maryland		Title: Volleyball Continental Chrome PM 1992 Jun-11 Description: First Day of Issue: June 11, 1992; First Issue Location: Baltimore, Maryland. In 1895 a game called mintonette was introduced at the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) in Holyoke, Massachusetts. William G. Morgan invented the game and offered it to local businessmen as an alternative for the more strenuous sport of basketball. Observing the volleys fired back and forth across the net, a spectator suggested that the game be called volleyball - and so it was. Enormously popular by the early 1900s, the game was introduced to Europeans by American soldiers during World War I. In 1928 the United States Volleyball Association (USVB) became the sport's governing body in America and in 1947 joined the International Volleyball Federation as a charter member. Volleyball made its first appearance at the 1964 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo, with the Japanese women's team and Soviet men's team receiving gold medals. At the 1984 Summer Games in Los Angeles, the United States captured its first Olympic medals in volleyball; the women's team won the silver medal and the men's team secured the gold

Title: Swimming Continental Chrome PM 1992 Jun-11 Description: First Day of Issue: June 11, 1992 First Issue Location: Baltimore, Maryland Early Greek and Roman civilizations incorporated swimming lessons into boys' elementary educations and into martial training for their soldiers. Many wealthy Romans swam for fitness and recreation in their own indoor or outdoor pools. Swimming races were held in Japan as early as 100 B.C., and by the 17th century, swimming was a compulsory subject in Japanese schools. During the Dark and Middle Ages, most people believed that swimming and bathing transmitted diseases, and thus avoided water almost completely. But by the 17th century, many European countries boasted spas and watering places which enabled patrons to reap the therapeutic benefits of relaxing swims. In 1846 included men's swimming events, and women's swimming events debuted at the 1912 Summer Games. During the 20th century, American athletes such as Mark Spitz, and Janet Evans have dominated the sport		Title: Soccer Baltimore (MD), Continental Chrome PM 1992 Jun-11 Description: No. 92-18. During spring and summer, grassy fields and stadiums belong to soccer players. Exuberant fans clamor wildly as their favorite teams skillfully maneuver the ball into the opposing team's goal. While the objective appears relatively easy to achieve, team members must not use their hands or arms to score. Only the goalkeeper may handle the ball. Therein lies the difficulty of this boisterous game. Born in England during the early 1800s, soccer--or association football as it is also called--was originally a game for schoolboys. In 1843 individuals from Cambridge University attempted to compile a set of uniform rules, but not until the creation of the Football Association in 1863 were regulations standardized. The sport was an instant success in Europe, South America and the United States, and in 1904 the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) organized as the governing body of international amateur soccer. Soccer made its Olympic debut at the 1900 Summer Games in Paris, with the gold medal going to Great Britain

Title: Boxing Continental Chrome PM 1992 Jun-11 Description: First Day of Issue: June 11, 1992 First Issue Location: Baltimore, Maryland Boxing made its Olympic debut at the Games held in 688 B.C. Competitors fought with leather straps wound around their fists, and later they added metal rings or knuckles to the straps. But there were no "rounds," no referees or "TKOs." The match continued until one of the competitors signaled defeat. In 648 B.C., pancration was added to the roster of events. A brutal combination of boxing and wrestling, the contest was indeed a free-for-all which again continued until one of the contenders yielded or died - the rules of the game permitted strangulation. Emperor Theodosius I abolished the Games in 393 A.D., but they were reinstituted in 1896 largely through the efforts of Baron Pierre de Coubertin. Boxing was not reinstated until the 1904 Olympic Games held in St. Louis, Missouri. Only 12 countries participated, and the U.S. dominated the competitions. During the 20th century, the sport has introduced gifted athletes; Argentina's Carmelo Robledo; Hungary's Lásló Papp; Cuba's Téofilo Stevenson; America's Cassius Clay and George Foreman		Title: Columbus in Sight of Land Continental Chrome PM 1992 May-22 Description: First Day of Issue: May 22, 1992 First Issue Location: Chicago, Illinois At two in the morning on October 12, 1492, a sailor named Juan Rodriguez Bermejo or Rodrigo de Triana sighted land from the deck of the Pinta, one of Christopher Columbus' three ships. It had been more than a month since the men had seen land as they bobbed west on an empty, lonely ocean. According to legend, disbelievers among the crew were finally convinced that Columbus was divinely inspired and fell to their knees in front of him. This legend was the inspiration of a painting created by George William Henry Powell (1823-1879). In the center of Powell's painting stands a staunch, controlled Columbus among his elated and reverent men. It is believed that engravers crafted the 1-cent Columbus in Sight of Land stamp from Powell's work. Of the 16 commemorative stamps issued in 1892 for the Chicago Exposition, this stamp departs the farthest from the original painting. The original, which is held in a private collection in New York City, was once thought "lost."

Title: Columbus Continental Chrome PM 1992 May-22 Description: First Day of Issue: May 22, 1992; First Issue Location: Chicago, Illinois. He was born in the town of Genoa in 1451 to Domenico Colombo and Suzanna Fontanarossa and from a young age, he looked to the open sea for answers. This much we know about the man who "discovered" the New World. We also know - with the benefit of our 20th centure hindsight - that he was a man of contradictions. Famous and infamous, courageous yet jealous, convincing but arrogant. We don't even really know what he looked like and this is evident in the numerous paintings of Columbus: no two are alike. Significantly, the mystery surrounding Columbus the man also surrounds the $5 Columbus stamp of the 1893 Columbian Exposition series. No one can prove what work of art the stamp was taken from. However, some solid evidence seems to point in the direction of a medal designed by Olin L. Warner. The profile on the stamp is remarkably similar to that of Warner's medal. The 1892 Columbian Half Dollar also bears what appears to be the same bust of Columbus on the obverse		Title: Columbus Describing Third Voyage Continental Chrome PM 1992 May-22 Description: First Day of Issue: May 22, 1992; First Issue Location: Chicago, Illinois. As soon as Christopher Columbus returned from his second voyage to the newly-discovered lands, he went to Ferdinand and Isabella to request funding for yet another voyage. Approval for a third trip was a long time coming since the country's bank was being drained by the war with France and Naples. And Columbus was no longer in the limelight. The navigation genius Vasco da Gama rounded the Cape of Good Hope in 1497 and found a route to India, while others were probing the seas in every direction. Nevertheless, he was finally given funding and embarked for the New World on his ill-fated third voyage. The $3 Columbus Describing Third Voyage commemorative stamp of 1893 was based upon a painting created around 1881 by Francisco Jover and entitled Columbus Describing His Third Voyage. However, the subject for the painting contains no small amount of irony, since Columbus returned to Spain in disgrace and irons and probably had little to describe. The painting has since disappeared, although it is felt to be somewhere in Spain

Title: Isabella and Columbus Continental Chrome PM 1992 May-22 Description: First Day of Issue: May 22, 1992 First Issue Location: Chicago, Illinois The relationship between Queen Isabella of Spain and Christopher Columbus of Italy, Portugal and points between was a study in contrasts. Isabella -- properly Isabella the Catholic -- was an heiress of Castile, born to John II and all of the benefits of royalty. Columbus was born in Genoa to an Italian weaver and would struggle through his early years to make a name for himself. When Isabella and Columbus finally met, the history of the world changed forever. Thus, portraits of the two were chosen for the $4 Isabella and Columbus commemorative stamp, issued in 1893. The portrait of Isabella, titled Isabelle of Castille, is an enigma, its location and artist remain unknown. Some feel that it could have been painted by Antonio Munoz Degrain, but this has not been confirmed. The Columbus portrait, however, was painted by Lorenzo Lotto (1480-1556), an Italian artist and although completed in 1512, six years after the death of Columbus, many feel that it is the most authentic portrait of the admiral		Title: Columbus in Chains Continental Chrome PM 1992 May-22 Description: First day of issue: May 22, 1992 First issue location: Chicago, Illinois While Columbus was without a doubt a respectable admiral, he left quite a bit to be desired as an administrator. After his ill-fated third voyage, Columbus was arrested on Hispaniola for mismanagement of the colonies in the New World. While it is doubtful that anyone could have successfully managed to quell the rebellions and uprisings caused by the clash of New World and Old, Columbus proved to be inflexible, weak at times, and often completely ruthless. He was returned in chains to Spain in 1500 along with his brothers Bartolomeo and Diego. The great explorer who had seen such a meteoric rise to fame saw an equally sharp plummet to disgrace. In 1941, well-known painter Emanuel Leutze (1816-1868) created a work titled The Return of Columbus in Chains to Cadiz. From this painting, the $2 Columbus in Chains stamp of 1893 was created. Although it was presumed that this painting had been lost for all time, an extensive search uncovered the work in excellent condition in a private collection in the United States

Title: Isabella Pledging Her Jewels Continental Chrome PM 1992 May-22 Description: First Day of Issue: May 22, 1992; First Issue Location: Chicago, Illinois. "By these presents we dispatch the noble man Christoforus Colon (Christopher Columbus) with three equipped caravels over the Ocean Seas toward the regions of India for certain reasons and purposes." So read a royal decree announcing the funding of Christopher Columbus' grand scheme. This great financial gamble was financed in a large part with more than 1,000,000 maravedis put up by the Holy Brotherhood of Spain. The legend that Queen Isabella pawned her jewels because the royal coffers were depleted from the war with the Moors is merely a fable. Although the Queen offered the jewels to the cause, this never was necessary. The legend served as inspiration for artist Antonio Munoz Degrain (1843-1924) for his painting Isabel the Catholic Bequeaths Her Jewels, c. 1878. Although this painting was displayed at the 1878 Universal Exhibition in Paris, since that time, the painting has disappeared. This painting was the basis for the $1 Isabella Pledging Her Jewels commemorative stamp issued in 1893		Title: Columbus Restored to Favor Postage Stamp Continental Chrome PM 1992 May-23 Description: First Day of Issue May 22, 1992 First Issue Location: Chicago, Illinois After Christopher Columbus' third voyage debacle and subsequent return to Spain in chains, it appeared as if the hero had truly fallen. But the Spanish court vindicated the aging adventurer and he began to plan another trip to the New World, sure that a strait could be found which would lead directly into the Indian Ocean. Royal approval, however, was a long time coming and when it did come, it was accompanned with only a modest financial investment. The intrepid explorer's return to favor is marked on the 8-cent stamp was originally issued on March 3, 1893, a full two months after the issuance of the other Columbian stamps. It was designed from a painting entitled "The Affectionate Reception of Columbus by Ferdinand and Isabella" by Francisco Jover y Casanova (1836-1890). The painting which was presumed to be "somewhere in Spain" was indeed located and today is the property of Valladolid University in Valladolid, Spain, where Columbus died

Title: Columbus Welcomed at Barcelona Postage Stamp Continental Chrome PM 1992 May-22 Description: First Day of Issue: May 22, 1992 First Issue Location: Chicago, Illinois Christopher Columbus double crossing of the vast Atlantic Ocean has gone down in history as one of the most amazing feats of navigation ever known. but Columbus and his men almost did not make it back to Spain. On the night of February 14, 1493, a fierce sttorm hit the Nina and the Pinta-- the Santa Maria had perished on a Haitian reef-- and the shps were separated. The storm raged on, threatening to swallow the Nina, Columbus, and the knowledge of the discovery. Finally, on March 9, the ship limped into the Portuguese harbor of Lisbon. On March 30, he received a letter from the King and Queen summoning him to Barcelona. The explorer arrived to a hero's welcome in a scene of great splendor. The memorable moment in history served as inspiration for artist Randolph Rogers (1852-1892), who crafted it upon the bronze doors of the Rotunda of the US Capitol. From Rogers' work, the 6-cent Columbus Welcomed at Barcelona stamp of 1893 was engraved		Title: Columbus Soliciting Aid of Isabella Continental Chrome PM 1992 May-22 Description: First Day of Issue: May 22, 1992; First Issue Location: Chicago, Illinois. In 1484, after years of sailing experience to such faraway places as Africa and Iceland, Christopher Columbus presented a petition to King John II of Portugal for what he called "Enterprise of the Indies." By sailing westward, he contended, ships could reach the Indies. The good King turned his proposal over to a committee and they flatly rejected it. Not to be discouraged, Columbus turned to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain for support. They, like King John II, turned it over to a panel of their own experts, who also rejected the idea. The reasons? The distance was too great, and the proposal infeasible. Finally, in the spring of 1492 the venture was financed from the royal coffers and the great navigator was on his way. Columbus' quest for funds and his appeal to Queen Isabella was commemorated in 1893 on the5-cent Columbus Soliciting Aid of Isabella stamp. The stamp was designed from the monumental work of art Columbus at the Court of Ferdinand and Isabella by the Czech artist Wenceslas de Brozik (1851-1901)

Title: Fleet of Columbus Continental Chrome PM 1992 May-22 Description: First day of issue: May 22, 1992 First issue location: Chicago, Illinois By modern standards, the ships of Columbus were tiny. But for the era, they were state-of-the-art, particularly the Nina and the Pinta. These ships, known as caravels, were light - each about 60 tons - swift and maneuverable and could sail into the wind. Where the Santa Maria was the workhorse of the small, three-ship fleet, the Nina and the Pinta were the racehorses. On September 6, 1492, the three vessels sailed west from the Canary Islands for the vast unknown. The 4-cent Fleet of Columbus stamp issued in 1893 depicted this beautiful fleet en route to the New World. Although many philatelists presumed that the design of the stamp was taken from a Spanish engraving, an extensive seaerch turned up the truth at the Spanish Naval Museum in Madrid. There, a painting with the title The Three Caravel on Their Way to America is displayed. Painted by Rafael Monleon y Torres, this treasured artwork was the basis for this stamp		Title: Flag Ship of Columbus Continental Chrome PM 1992 May-22 Description: First Day of Issue: May 22, 1992; First Issue Location: Chicago, Illinois. Measuring 117 feet with castles fore and aft, the Marigalante was an impressive sight among the ships of the era. She was renamed the Santa Maria, became the flagship of Columbus and was personally captained by him. On September 6, 1492, the Santa Maria set sail from the Canary Islands en route to the Indies - a geographical term of the time for Japan, Burma, India, Indonesia and China - along with the Nina and the Pinta. She was classed as a nao, a Spanish term for ship, and estimated at 90 tons. Sadly, only months after Columbus' discovery, the helmsman ran her aground on a reef at midnight on Christmas Day. The genesis of the 3-cent Flag Ship of Columbus stamp of 1893 is shrouded in mystery. Supposedly, it was designed by an unknown Spanish engraver, but it is not known if the die was inspired by a painting or if the engraver simply crafted his own version of the Santa Maria. An extensive search for the original piece of art has led to a dead end and the painting - if there is one - is presumed lost forever

Title: Landing of Columbus Continental Chrome PM 1992 May-22 Description: John Vanderlyn First day of issue: May 22, 1992 First issue location: Chicago, Illinois Shortly after the sighting of land, Columbus and the captains of the Pinta and the Nina - brothers martin Alonso and Fransciso Martin Pinzon - along with several other officials, embarked for the island. This moment in history captured the imagination of artist John Vanderlyn (1775-1852) who was commissioned in 1837 to paint The Landing of Columbus for the US Capitol Rotunda in Washington, DC, where the painting is displayed today. In the foreground of the painting is an almost ethereal light stands Columbus holding a sword and the royal flag, while natives and sailors alike tremble in Columbus' presence. From this painting, the 2-cent Landing of Columbus stamp of 1893 was designed. When the Columbian Exposition stamps were issued, it was almost immediately noticed with amusement that Vanderlyn's Columbus wore a full beard, while the Columbus on the 1-cent Columbus in Sight of Land was clean shaven. This, of course gave rise to speculations on Columbus' astounding ability to grow facial hair!		Title: Recall of Columbus Continental Chrome PM 1992 May-22 Description: First Day of Issue: May 22, 1992; First Issue Location: Chicago, Illinois. Fresh from his rest at the monastery of La Rabida, Christopher Columbus strode confidently into the Spanish royal chambers, where he again laid out his proposal for a trip west into unknown waters in search of a direct passage to India. Should his scheme bear fruit, he demanded great reward from the Spanish monarchs. The King and Queen were shocked by the would-be adventurer's requirements. The royal couple dismissed him and Columbus departed in January 1492 for France or England. Advisors close to the King and Queen prevailed, however, and Columbus was recalled. According to legend, a messenger was sent on foot to catch Columbus and bring him back to the court, where his demands would be granted. This inspired artist Augustus George Heaton (1844-1931) to paint his artwork Recall of Columbus in 1883. From this piece, the 50-cent Recall of Columbus commemorative stamp of 1893 was created. The painting can be viewed in the Senate Wing of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C

Title: Columbus at La Rabida Continental Chrome PM 1992 May-22 Description: First Day of Issue: May 22, 1992; First Issue Location: Chicago, Illinois. For several years, Christopher Columbus endeavored to raise money for his grand quest. After being rejected by the King of Portugal and others, Columbus appeared for the first time in front of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain. His "Enterprise of the Indies" was presented to the royal couple and they turned it over to a special committee. Five seemingly-endless years went by while Columbus waited for word. Dejected, Columbus sought solace at La Rabida, a monastery near Huelva, Spain. La Rabida was a healing place for the would-be explorer and in time, he was ready once again to present his proposal to the Spanish royal couple. Columbus at La Rabida was the subject of a painting known as Columbus Before the Franciscans at La Rabida by Felipe Maso de Falp (1851-1929). This painting was used for the design of the 30-cent Columbus at La Rabida stamp of the 1893 Columbian Exposition series. However, the original artwork appears to have been lost		Title: Jesse Owens Continental Chrome PM 1990 Jul-6 Description: First Day of Issue: July 6, 1990 First Issue Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota When the Olympics came to Berlin in 1936, the Germans spared no expense, building a massive complex dubbed the Reich Sports Grounds. The Nazis deemed the international event a chance to tout their "Arian race" ideology, and taunted the United States for using "inferior" black athletes. One such athlete was Jesse Owens (1913-1980) who almost single-handedly exposed the hollow core of Nazi propaganda. In an astonishing performance, Owens earned gold medals in four events: the 100-meter dash, the 200-meter sprint, the long jump and the 400-meter relay, setting or tying three Olympic and world records in the process. The youngest of ten children born to Alabama sharecroppers, Jesse Owens moved with his family to Ohio in the 1920s. There Jesse set numerous junior high and high school track and field records. Initially, after his return from Berlin to the United States, his career faltered. But in the 1950s he achieved financial security as a public speaker, becoming what some termed a "professional good example" for the American way of life

Title: Eddie Eagan Continental Chrome PM 1990 Jul-6 Description: First Day of Issue: July 6, 1990; First Issue Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota. Few men can claim to have combined brains and brawn as effectively as Edward "Eddie" Eagan (1898-1967), the only man to have earned gold medals in both the Summer and Winter Olympics. At the 1920 Olympics in Antwerp, Belgium, Eagan won a gold medal in boxing as a light heavyweight. He extended his record of excellence to winter sports, becoming a member of the 1932 United States four-man bobsled team at Lake Placid, New York. But Eagan's record of achievement did not end on the sweat-stained canvas or polished ice. Though born to a poor family in Denver, Colorado, Eagan graduated from both Yale University and Harvard Law School, then continued his education in Oxford, England, as a Rhodes Scholar. Eagan patterned his life after Frank Merriwell, a fictional hero of the dime novels that were popular at the time. In the early 1930's, Eagan wrote, "To this day, I have never used tobacco, because Frank didn't. My first glass of wine, which I do not care for, was taken under social compulsion in Europe. Frank never drank."		Title: Ray Ewry Continental Chrome PM 1990 Jul-6 Description: First Day of Issue: July 6, 1990; First Issue Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota. Though Ray Ewry (1873-1937) competed in the Olympics four times during his track and field career, perhaps his biggest obstacle came much earlier in life when he was stricken with childhood polio. Given little chance of survival, he was placed on a strict exercise program and responded beautifully. After overcoming the deadly disease, he went on to a distinguished career as an athlete at Purdue University. In 1900, he entered the Olympic Games in Paris, taking gold medals in the Standing high jump, standing long jump and standing triple jump. In the 1904 Olympics in St. Louis, he won three more gold medals, competing in the same events. At the 1906 Athens Olympics, Ewry again rose to the top, winning gold medals in the standing long and high jumps. Finally, in his last Olympic appearance at the 1908 London games Ewry won top honors again in standing long and high jumps. In all, Ewry earned ten gold medals, a mark which still stands as the most awarded any athlete

Title: Helene Madison Continental Chrome PM 1990 Jul-6 Description: First day of issue: July 6, 1990 First issue location: Minneapolis, Minnesota The sport of women's swimming was still very new and Helene Madison (1913-1970) was in her teens when the 1932 Summer Olympics were held in Los Angeles, California. Emerging from what is known as the "Golden Age of Swimming," Madison was a teen wonder, having by the age of 17 established twenty-six world records in freestyle events - in distances ranging from 50 yards to one mile. Two years later at the Olympic games, she was the only member of the American contingent to win three gold medals. In the 100-meter freestyle event, she set an Olympic record after faltering a bit in the semi-finals. In the 400-meter freestyle she was pushed severely by her American teammate Lenore Kight, yet set a new world record while touching the final wall just inches in front of Kight. Finally, she took a gold in the 400-meter freestyle relay. During the 1930s Madison earned a dozen world and thirty American championships, and at one time held all of the standards in American freestyle swimming		Title: Assiniboine Continental Chrome PM 1990 Aug-17 Description: First Day of Issue: August 17, 1990 First Issue Location: Cody, Wyoming The showy, elaborate headdress, as in all Assiniboine clothing, reflected the tribe's taste for the beautiful and the colorful. Materials obtained in trade were often used in their clothing, with such items as their headdresses containing wool, brass tacks, beads, felt and other cloth. The headdresses also contained items of the land - eagle feathers and ermine. Early travelers into the northern plains of the Assiniboine were immensely impressed by the tribe. George Catlin, an artist who traveled the area in 1832, noted of the Assiniboine that they "are undoubtedly the finest-looking, best-equipped, and most beautifully costumed of any of the Continent... " Living in the rolling, open prairie of Saskatchewan and Manitoba, Canada, the Assiniboine were influenced early on by British traders of the Hudson Bay Company. The Cree Indians to the north were close allies of the Assiniboine and acted as "go-betweens" with their southern neighbors and the British of the Far North

Title: Cheyenne Continental Chrome PM 1990 Aug-17 Description: First Day of Issue: August 17, 1990 First Issue Location: Cody, Wyoming For the Cheyenne, as for all Indians, the elaborate feathered headdress was a symbol of immense power and great medicine. Those who wore it were the recipients of that power. One such Cheyenne warrior was the mighty Bat - known as Roman Nose to the whites - who stood six-foot, three-inches tall and was thought to be invincible in battle. Roman Nose wore a magic headdress so powerful that whenever Roman Nose wore it into battle, he was untouchable; bullets and arrows whizzed past him time and again. The huge man delighted in proving his prowess, loping on his horse casually across the enemy's line of fire without harm. However, the medicine of this headdress was neutralized if Roman Nose happened to eat anything served with an iron instrument. Accordingly, he diligently avoided the white man's utensils. But on the eve of a battle with fifty frontiersmen in 1868, he accidentally ate a piece of bread taken from a skillet with a fork. The next day, Roman Nose was mortally wounded on the battlefield		Title: Montana Statehood Helena (MT), Continental Chrome PM 1989 Jan-15 Description: Ed Little No.89-1. Known to the native Americans as the Land of the Shining Mountains, Montana is the northernmost Rocky Mountain state. Its mountains are a source of great mineral wealth, and their beauty attracts many visitors. Montana is also a state of numerous rivers and a large number of natural lakes. Access to the area was hindered by the Great Plains to the east and the mountains to the west, but its rivers provided travel routes. Most likely the first white men in the area were French and Spanish fur traders and prospectors prior to 1800. Following the Louisiana Purchase of 1803, the Lewis and Clark Expedition provided the first adequate record of the area. The United States' rights to the region were recognized by Great Britain in the Convention of 1818 and the Oregon Treaty of 1846. The fur trade, missionary efforts, the coming of the railroad, and the gold rush with its resulting lawlessness were responsible for settlement in the area and the implementation of organized government there. Montana became the forty-first state on November 8, 1889

Title: A. Philip Randolph New York (NY), Continental Chrome PM 1989 Feb-3 Description: No.89-2. Civil rights activist Asa Philip Randolph founded an outspoken journal, the Messenger, in 1917. Through his journal, he urged blacks to join labor unions, and advocated solidarity between white and black workers, but Randolph was not just an idea man--he knew how to get things done. He organized and became the president of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters (AFL) in 1925. He also served as president of the National Negro Congress, and vice president of the AFL-CIO. When industry refused to hire blacks for defense jobs, Randolph planned a massive protest march on Washington. To avert the march, President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued a Fair Employment Practices executive order. Randolph also organized a movement to press for the abolition of segregation in the armed forces in 1947, and directed a monumental demonstration, the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, in 1963. Fittingly, the stamp featured on this Maximum Card is a salute to the achievements of the inimitable A. Philip Randolph		Title: North Dakota Statehood Bismarck (ND), Continental Chrome PM 1989 Feb-21 Description: Ed Little First day of issue: February 21, 1989 First issue location: Bismarck, North Dakota North Dakota is situated exactly in the middle of North America. It is bounded on the north by Canada, on the south by South Dakota, on the west by Montana, and on the east by the Red River of the North, which separates it from Minnesota. As far as anyone knows, the first white man to set foot in North Dakota was Pierre Gaultier de Varennes, a French explorer and fur trader who entered the area in 1738 seeking a water route to the Pacific Ocean. In 1797, Charles Chaboillez established a fur trading post in North Dakota for the North West Company. In 1801, the Hudson's Bay and XY companies also opened posts there. Uprisings discouraged settlers for a time, but gold-seekers, the extension of the railroad, and fertile land eventually brought settlement to the Flickertail State. The area went through numerous territorial changes in its evolution toward statehood. The region was part of eight different territories before it was admitted to the United States as North Dakota, the thirty-ninth state of the Union, on November 2, 1889

Title: Washington Statehood Continental Chrome PM 1989 Feb-22 Description: Ed Little First Day of Issue: February 22, 1989 First Issue Location: Olympia, Washington The earliest written history of Washington state, located in the northwest corner of the continental United States, is contained in the records of Spanish, British and American explorers, some purportedly dated as early as 1592. The first real settlers, however, were the fur traders and missionaries who came to the Northwest beginning in the early 1800s. Later, with the discovery of gold in the northeaster part of the territory in 1855, came a flood of prospectors. Rapid population growth in eastern Washington Territory in the 1860s contributed to the annexing of parts of the territory to the new Territory of Idaho. By 1863, the permanent boundaries of the future Washington state were set, except for minor adjustments later in the San Juan Islands. Because of its remoteness, the region experienced slow population growth until the coming of the railroad in 1883. During the Civil War, enthusiasm for statehood in the Washington Territory became strong, and Washington was admitted into the Union as the forty-second state on November 11, 1889		Title: Columbus Announcing His Discovery Continental Chrome PM 1992 May-22 Description: First Day of Issue: May 22, 1992; First Issue Location: Chicago, Illinois. "For although men have talked or written of these lands, all was conjecture, without getting a look at it, but amounted to only this, that those who heard for the most part listened and judged it more a fable than that there was anything in it, however small." So wrote a 42-year-old mariner who had conquered the vast seas of the unknown and brought back news of a newly discovered land. Within a few weeks, Christopher Columbus presented evidence of his find to the royal court. Artist Ricardo Balaca y Orejas Canseco (1844-1880) painted the royal reception and titled it Columbus Received by the Catholic Kings After His First Travel. The theme of the 15-cent Columbus Announcing His Discovery commemorative stamp issued in 1893 is based upon this painting. Unfortunately, an extensive search for this treasure has come up empty, although it is presumed still in existence and somewhere in Spain. At one time, the art may have been on display in Madrid, but during the Spanish Civil War, it disappeared

Title: Columbus Presenting Natives Chicago (IL), Continental Chrome PM 1992 May-22 Description: No.92-35. Perhaps the most compelling evidence of Columbus' find were six natives from the newly discovered land. Columbus removed by force seven natives from the island he christened San Salvador; a half dozen made it to Barcelona. There, they paraded in native costume down the streets of the city, enthralling the crowds. They were baptized and given Christian names with the King and Queen serving as godparents. The remarkable appearance of the natives in their exotic dress was an inspiration for artist Luigi Gregori (1819-1896) who was the artist-in-residence at the Vatican. Gregori's painting, entitled Return of Columbus and Reception at Court was the design used for the 10-cent stamp issued in 1893. The painting is but one of a dozen of Gregori's works in the Administration Building at University of Notre Dame in Notre Dame, Indiana. Each of the paintings was painted by Gregori and depicts a moment in the life of Columbus		Title: The Broad Billed Hummingbird Postage Stamp Continental Chrome PM 1992 Jun-15 Description: First Day of Issue: June 15, 1992 First Issue Location: Washington DC Deep inside Arizona's Santa Rita Mountains, a tiny bird zips back and forth in a swinging motion that emulates the pendulum of a clock. The display is enchanting, but it is the sound of the little bird's wings that captures the attention, a sound befitting the Wild West location, not unlike the wild screaming of a ricochetting bullet. A male Broad billed Hummingbird is at it again, attemtpting to entice a female as his mate. Found along sycamore lined canyons in west Texas and southeastern Arizona, the Broad billed Humming bird is best known for the noisy aerial display and a bright red bill which is present on both male and female. The male is an iridescent gem, with emerald plumage on its belly and back, and a throat patch which is as deep azure as the Southwestern twilight. The brilliant sunlight of the desert brings these colors out in vivid display; in the shade, the male Broad-billed Hummingbird appears almost black. The female, while less colorful, is nonetheless a beauty too, with subtile hues of green, gray, and white

Title: Callipe Hummingbird Continental Chrome PM 1992 Jun-15 Description: First Day of Issue: June 15, 1992; First Issue Location: Washington, D.C. Scarcely three inches long, the Calliope Hummingbird is the smallest bird in North America. It also holds the distinction of laying the smallest eggs, less than one third of an inch in diameter and one half inch in length in a nest no larger than an American quarter. Size is a quick clue to the bird's identity , but the male Calliope is also the only hummingbird that has a red-and-white barred throat - known as a gorget. The female is easily confused with the female Rufous and Broad-tails, but her short bill and size aids the bird-watcher. In the summer, the Calliope Hummingbird may be seen feeding at timberline in the Rockies and Sierra Nevada, daintily sipping, hovering and zipping from plant to plant. The high mountain holds are favorite haunts of the little bird, but it can also be found in the low country, from canyons to grasslands. As with the Rufous Hummingbird, the Calliope's migration route is egg-shaped. In the spring, the little bird will fly up the coast of California and Oregon to summer as far north as British Columbia and Alberta		Title: Christmas 1987 Continental Chrome PM 1987 Oct-23 Description: First Day of Issue: October 23, 1987. First Issue Location: Washington, DC

Title: Christmas 1987 Continental Chrome PM 1987 Oct-23 Description: First day of issue: October 23, 1987 First issue location: Holiday, California The season comes once a year, spreading peace throughout the land. A kind word here, a smile there, it's Christmas everywhere. Ornaments reflect the joy in re3ds and blues and gold. And what greater pleasure there to be found, than the image of a child's face at Christmas; the twinkle in the eyes, pink cheeks fresh in from a winter's walk, and the mischievous smile? No wonder, then, that a magical childhood land should be chosen to host the first day of issue ceremony for the US Postal Service's Contemporary Classic stamp. Disneyland, of course. Mickey and Minnie joined other Disney characters, with Santa Claus among them, to celebrate the 1987 issue, honoring the beauty of Christmas ornaments of glass. The ceremony was on October 23 to help introduce the annual "Mail Early" campaign. The Contemporary Stamp was postmarked at the celebrated "Holiday, California" post office in Anaheim		Title: Red, White and Blue Continental Chrome PM 1987 Nov-30 Description: First Day of Issue: November 30, 1987 First Issue Location: Washington, D.C. The American flag...symbol of freedom and democracy. Its bright colors, its bold design, its strong message of pride stir the heart of every American citizen. The flag began as a simple sign of solidarity during the Revolutionary War. Later, the ensign became a symbol of patriotism for the new United States. As the young nation sought to become a recognizable and distinctive entity, the flag went through some changes, but alternating red and white stripes always seemed evident. After the Revolution, a field of blue became popular. Once the U.S. Constitution was signed and ratified, the official flag honored each of the thirteen new states with a star of its own, these arranged in a linear pattern on the blue, in the upper left corner of the flag. The stripes also came to be numbered thirteen. Today, the American flag flies proudly...testimony to the glory of a nation. The stamp featured on this Maximum Card was issued in sheet form on May 9, 1987, and was reissued in booklet form on November 30, 1987

Title: Georgia Statehood Continental Chrome PM 1988 Jan-6 Description: Chris Calle First day of issue: January 6, 1988 First issue location: Atlanta, Georgia William Few and Abraham Baldwin were the two delegates who represented Georgia at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, and both were there to sign their names to the Constitution. But, with serious internal matters - like Indian attacks - to contend with, Georgia seemed at times indifferent to broader national concerns. Thus, as other states called special meetings to convene their state conventions, Georgia merely placed it on her Assembly agenda, after defense matters. But, finally, it was decided to consider the Constitution. A Convention was held and the US Constitution was speedily and unanimously ratified by the people of Georgia on January 2, 1788. Thus, Georgia became the first southern state to ratify the Constitution, contributing, from that point on, to the rich and complex history of a nation. The stamp featured on this Maximum Card commemorates 200 years of Georgia		Title: Connecticut Continental Chrome PM 1988 Jan-9 Description: First day of issue: January 9, 1988 First issue location: Hartford, Connecticut Two hundred years ago, the people of Connecticut were faced with a decision: should they ratify the Constitution set before them? One of the delegates and a signer, Roger Sherman, wrote elequently, "... The Convention endeavoured to provide for the energy of government on the one hand, and suitable checks on the other hand, to secure the rights of the particular states, and the liberties and properties of the citizens. We wish it may... be a means of securing their rights and lengthening out their tranquility." And as the State Convention convened, he offered "... The Greatest security that a people can have... is that no laws can be made to bind them nor any taxes be imposed upon them without their consent by representatives of their own choosing..." Thus, convinced of the soundness of the document, Connecticut became the fifth state to ratify the Constitution. The stamp on this Maximum Card honors Connnecticut and the 200 years of history which followed

Title: Winter Olympics 1988 Continental Chrome PM 1988 Jan-10 Description: Winter Olympics 1988 First Day of Issue: January 10, 1988 First Issue Location: Anchorage, Alaska The thrill is an Olympic skier deftly navigates the treacherous slalom course... the amazement as paired skaters drift elegantly, perfectly timed to the music and to each other... the excitement as speed skaters bolt to the finish at break-neck speeds: these are the moments of Winter Olympics history, moments spectators share as they watch the world's best amateur athletes compete for that elusive gold medal. The 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, Canada, honor centuries of pride in the perfectly toned body... in the determination to win... and in the competitive spirit. It is a time for nations to come together as friends, and for amateur athletes to experience the ultimate in international competition. The Games represent a standard for all, and a chance to compete with the best in the world. For the spectator, they are an opportunity to share the experience, and to bask in the beauty of perfectly executed sport. The stamp on this Maximum Card was issued by the United States to salute The 1988 Winter Olympics		Title: Happy Bicentennial Continental Chrome PM 1988 Jan-26 Description: Tom McNeely First Day of Issue: January 26, 1988; First Issue Location: Washington, D.C. In 1976, Americans celebrated their Bicentennial. On January 26, 1988, Australians celebrated theirs. With fanfare, the people honored 200 years of Australian history. In 1788, English prison ships brought the first "settlers" to Australia. From this dubious beginning, Australians have built a strong and prosperous nation. Today, from the Great Barrier Reef to the expansive outback, Australia is a land of which to be proud. Her cities are exceptional, welcoming Americans with a feeling of home. Partly because of this, Americans share a warm relationship with her; the two are "mates" in the finest sense of the word. The U.S. and Australia stand together as two nations which have shared a similar past, and, as friends, face a bright future. Thus, on this special occasion, America and Australia chose to offer their first joint stamp issue. As the stamp on this Maximum Card was being issued in Washington, D.C., a stamp bearing the same design was being released in Sydney, marking friendship on the Bicentennial of a nation

Title: James Weldon Johnson Nashville (TN), Continental Chrome PM 1988 Feb-2 Description: No.88-5. Born in Florida in 1871, James Weldon Johnson faced a prejudiced society. His life would be devoted to the advancement of blacks in America, and his works would be inspiration to all. Graduated from Atlanta University in 1894, Johnson was the first black man ever admitted to the Florida Bar. He practiced law until 1901. Moving to New York, he began writing for vaudeville and minstrel shows, finding that he had quite a talent for writing. As time went on, he became more and more devoted to literary endeavor. In 1912, the Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man, was published and, in 1917, Johnson's first book of poetry, Fifty Years and Other Poems was released. In 1927, his most famous work, God's Trombones was issued. The book combines Biblical ideas with black folklore. A founder of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), Johnson served in its offices from 1916 to 1930. In 1925, James Weldon Johnson was awarded the Spingarn Medal for services to the people of his race		Title: Maine Coon and Burmese - First Day of Issue: February 5, 1988 22c Continental Chrome PM 1988 Feb-5 Description: First Issue Location: New York, New York If one were not watching closely, it might be possible to mistake the Maine Coon Cat for a raccoon, for its patterns and colors are very similar to those of a raccoon. Commonly found in the state of Maine, the Coon Cat may reach a weight of 40 pounds, and looks even bigger because of the bulk of its fur, especially around the neck. It is thought to have been brought to the New World early on aboard a Scandinavian trading or fishing vessel. Because of its size and hardiness, the Coon Cat quickly became a favorite working cat, and was employed as a mouser in many parts of the state. On this Maximum Card, the Main Coon Cat is accompanied by a gentler breed, the Burmese Cat. A member of the shorthairs, this almond-eyed beauty resembles a Siamese Cat. Its sleek, sable-brown coat gives it an exotic look. The Burmese Cat is calmer and more complacent than the Siamese Cat, and thus, its intelligence and affectionate disposition have made it a special favorite among American cat-owners

Title: Siamese and Exotic Shorthair New York (NY), Continental Chrome PM 1988 Feb-5 Description: No.88-6. Descended from the "royal cats of Siam," Siamese cats once inhabited the spectacular palaces of Thailand (Siam). Today, they are known for their affectionate natures. And, though their voices are mournful and nagging, Siamese Cats use them to "talk" to human friends. Surely it is this rare combination of beauty, grace and a gentle disposition which has made the Siamese one of the most desired cats of all. The Exotic Shorthair is a domestic cat related to the Persian. Like all domestic shorthairs, this breed is proud, but sports an easygoing, faithful nature. For show, this cat should display ears well set apart and rounded at the tip, rounded eyes and a broad, full-cheeked face. With a muscular body and broad chest, the Exotic Shorthair is generally an excellent show cat. Many cities sponsor such shows with national associations setting the accepted standards for judging. But show, or not, these two breeds will always have the attention of American pet-owners, because of their exceptional good looks and interesting traits		Title: Himalayan and Abyssinian Postage Stamp Continental Chrome PM 1988 Feb-5 Description: First Day of Issue: February 5, 1988 First Issue Location: New York, New York The breeding of domestic cats has long held the attention of man. Cat shows are held throughout the country, and owners attennd with prize pets to compete for "Best of Breed." The Himalayan Cat is the result of breeding the shorthaired Siamese with Persians. The result is an exquisiely beautiful cat the color of the Siamese but with a stockier body, a broader head, and rounder, blue eyes. A perfect pet, this lovely looking cat also sports a gentle affectionate personlity. The Abyssinian is also the result of careful breeding, but its looks are far more classical than luxurious. The Abyssinian, in fact, looks much like the sacred cats of Egypt. Its thick, soft coat appears a grayish brown, but is actually multi-colored. It has a gentle sound, sometimes compared to the cooing of a dove. The Abyssinian, with its distinctive characteristics, does not breed easily and generally produces small litters. Thus, it is among the most expensive of all cats. The Abyssinian is truly a classic cat in many ways

Title: American Shorthair and Persian Continental Chrome PM 1988 Feb-5 Description: First Day of Issue: February 5, 1988; First Issue Location: New York, New York. The classic Egyptian tabby is the one from which all breeds of cat are thought to have descended. Sporting an auburn coat, this first shorthair was predecessor to millions. In America, shorthaired cats are most common, and are found in variations of black, white, tabby and tortoiseshell. The Black Cat gets the most attention, as its color and stealth have lent it great mystery. A true White American Shorthair is very rare and takes years of careful breeding to achieve. Tabbies are more common and come in brown, red and silver. Another breed of shorthair, the Tortoiseshell, is distinguished by patches of black, cream, or red. Tortoiseshell Cats are almost always female. Also featured on this Maximum Card is the Persian Cat. A member of the longhaired breeds, the Persian is considered among the elite. Handsome and aloof, Persians are often blue in color, although the White-Haired variety is presumed to be the original longhaired cat. Black Persians are very rare, but exceptionally beautiful and highly prized by their owners		Title: Massachusetts Ratifies Continental Chrome PM 1988 Feb-6 Description: First Day of Issue: February 6, 1988; First Issue Location: Boston, Massachusetts; In January 1788, the Boston air carried a chill, not entirely due to the weather. Talks along the waterfront, in the pubs, and on the street was centered on the state constitutional convention. At the outset, Thomas Jefferson - from his post as minister to France - had sent his views, setting the stage for debate. Approving of the separation of powers, taxing powers and other issues, Jefferson went on to explain, "I will add now what I do not like...the omission of a bill of rights," which freemen need to protect them from, "every government on earth...and what no just government should refuse, or rest on inference." Jefferson's point was well taken in Massachusetts, where citizens demanded to know what their rights would be. As the fourth most populous state and a commercial center, Massachusetts had special concerns. Thus, it was here that the Constitution was bitterly debated. John Hancock took a leading role, presenting amendments which decided the vote. On February 6, 1788, Massachusetts delegates voted to ratify

Title: Maryland votes to ratify Continental Chrome PM 1988 Feb-15 Description: First day of issue: February 15, 1988 First issue location: Annapolis, Maryland Maryland sent five delegates to the Federal Convention in Philadelphia. Three signed the Constitution and returned home to help persuade their state to ratify it. McHenry, Jenifer, and Carroll were convinced of the merits of the document as it was written. Their job now as to convince others. Among their opponents was Luther Martin, who also attended the Federal Convention, but, as a proponent of state sovereignty, refused to sign. Despite his arguments, on April 28, 1788, Maryland became the seventh state to ratify the Constitution. The vote was 63 to 11, with no amendments recommended. Maryland anti-Federalists were not pleased with the decision. As other Convention delegates toasted the new Constitution, opponents discussed ways to bring amendment issues before the people. Martin proffered a protest, and a pamphlet was published listing 28 possible amendments. But the decision was made, and Maryland was committed to the new US Constitution. The stamp on this Maximum Card was issued February 15, 1988		Title: The Conestoga Wagon Continental Chrome PM 1988 Feb-29 Description: First Day of Issue: February 29, 1988; First Issue Location: Conestoga, Pennsylvania. In the 1800's, caravans of Conestogas often stretched end to end across the prairie, as far as the eye could see. Weighing three thousand pounds, each wagon was home to a pioneer, making his way to a new life. Looking like boats on wheels, the Conestogas were nicknamed "Prairie Schooners," and covered twenty to twenty-five miles a day. Pulled by teams of horses, the wagons also hauled freight. In winter, when ice formed over the roadways, the wooden wheels were replaced with runners, and suddenly the delivery of freight improved even more. More weight per horse could be pulled by the Conestoga sled, and two horses could take the place of the four needed in other seasons. Thus the Conestoga - with the help of American ingenuity - became a year-round vehicle, perhaps the most functional of the time. The First Day Ceremony for this stamp was held at the Fire Hall in Conestoga, Pennsylvania, and guest speakers addressed the attendees in a most appropriate fashion: from the bed of an authentic, 16-foot Conestoga Wagon

Title: Knute Rockne Continental Chrome PM 1988 Mar-9 Description: First Day of Issue: March 9, 1988; First Issue Location: Notre Dame, Indiana. Like many immigrants of his time, Knute Rockne dreamed of going to college. Earning his own way, he finally made the dream come true, attending Notre Dame University. There he earned a reputation as one of the most brilliant college football players of all time. In 1914, he graduated, but Notre Dame found a way to hold on to this football great. He was hired as a chemistry instructor and football coach. And soon, it was apparent that Knute Rockne was destined for fame. By 1918, he was head coach of the Notre Dame football team. In the next 13 years, Notre Dame won 105 games, lost only 12, and tied five. Rockne's leadership brought the school to the heights of college football, and the game itself profited from his genius. He taught to perfection the art of forward passing and insisted on the absolute coordination of team members so that they played like a finely tuned machine. Rockne thus earned the admiration of a nation of football fans. On April 1, 1931, Knute Rockne was killed in a plane crash, and all America felt the loss		Title: American Eagle Continental Chrome PM 1988 Mar-22 Description: First Day of Issue: March 22, 1988 First Issue Location: Washington, DC Flying free and proud, the American eagle soars above the plains. In her magnificent flight, she captures the spirit of a nation. From the very days when America's liberty was formed, the strength and pride of the eagle has been a guiding force. Even in folk art, America reflects the influence of this majestic bird. In the early 1800s as the towns of New England forged a living from the sea, woodcarvings often led her ships to bountiful catches and sea ports. Crafting figureheads became an art, and the eagle, carved in fine detail, was a favorite subject. Carvings came to be used on stern board and mast board, and to adorn furniture and architectural elements, too. And thus, the American eagle was portrayed in many artful forms. The carving depicted on this Maximum Card features an elegant eagle bearing an American shield with arrows. Related images reinforce its place in American history. The nondenominated Official Mail Stamp also features an eagle, and was issued as part of the 1988 Postal Rate Change

Title: China Clipper - E Booklet Stamp Continental Chrome PM 1988 Mar-22 Description: First day of issue: March 22, 1988 First issue location: Washington, DC In 1935, a new "China Clipper" marked a milestone in the delivery of the mail. As thousands watched, she headed west from San Francisco, flying just above the unfinished Golden Gate Bridge. A cheer went up as she set off on the first transpacific airmail flight with a cargo of 110,000 letters. The Martin M-130, christened "China Clipper," was a seaplane designed for long-distance passenger and mail transport. Her journey was eight thousand miles long, and special island bases were set up to serve her landing needs. But, the trip complete, the "China Clipper" had opened a new era in mail transport and joined the ranks in a new century of improved communications. The E stamp on this Maximum Card is the fifth in a series of non-denominated stamps. Issued in 1988 in response to a postal rate increase, the stamp incorporates a colorful design into the non-denominated series. The view of Earth from outer space is based on photographs provided by the National Aeronautics Space Administration		Title: DH4 - E Sheet Stamp Continental Chrome PM 1988 Mar-22 Description: DH4 - E Sheet Stamp First Day of Issue: March 22, 1988 First Issue Location: Washington, D.C. From the Pony Express to global communications systems, the United States Postal Services has sought to improve its service. Even at the turn of the century, it was clear, moving the mail meant progress. Thus, almost as soon as airplanes were invented, they were seen as a way to speed the mail. By 1918, the first regular airmail service was set up between New York City and Washington, D.C. Among the early planes to accomplish the task was the DeHavilland DH4 biplane. Without radios or tracking devices, control towers or landing strips, daredevil pilots braved America's airspaces to deliver mail quickly, and their success was remarkable. americans came to rely on airmail as a dependable, fast for of communication - one that became vital to businesses throughout the country. Today, airmail provides quick transmission of mail throughout the world. The E sheet stamp on this Maximum Card hails progress in worldwide communication with a most appropriate non-denominated stamp depicting the Earth from outer space

Title: Mail Train - E Coil Stamp Continental Chrome PM 1988 Mar-22 Description: First Day of Issue: March 22, 1988 First Issue Location: Washington D.C. The steam engine brought many changes, offering sturdy reliable transportation across America's vast wilderness. Communication from the frontier had always been a problem, and now, the railroads came to solve it. Chugging onward, the "Iron Horse" quickly proved its worth. And, in 1864, the Railway Mail Service was instituted to provide fast loca service. Trains with specially designed Postal Cars were attached to rugged engines. Agents sorted as the trains traveled, and they transferred mail sacks as the trains slowed at designated pick-up spots. Later, special cranes facilitated mor exact mail swaps. On into the 20th century, Mail Trains delivered mail over some 586 million miles per year. Today, instead of crossing continents, the mail must span a globe. Thus, the fifth non-denominated stamp ever issued by the U.S. Postal Service takes o n a global perspective. A view of Earth from outer space features an "E for Earth" theme. The stamp on this Maximum Card is part of the E stamp series issued in 1988		Title: New Sweden Settlement Continental Chrome PM 1988 Mar-29 Description: First Day of Issue: March 29, 1988 First Issue Location: Wilmington, Delaware Searching for the promises of a new land, brave adventurers crossed the seas 350 years ago. They came in Swedish ships and headed for the Minquas Kill, which they named Christina River after the young queen of Sweden. There, where the River flows into the Delaware at Wilmington, they built a fort, Fort Christina -- the beginnings of the New Sweden settlement. Befriending the Indians, they managed to secure a deed for land extending from the area south of Wilmington to what is now Philadelphia. The agreement was signed on March 29, 1638. The colony grew, adding to its numbers many Finns, for, at that time, much of Finland was a part of Sweden. Through they faced trials in settling a wilderness, many survived, and the settlement prospered. Thus, on the 350th anniversary of the New Sweden settlement, the U.S. Postal Service, for the first time, issued a stamp simultaneously with two other nations -- Sweden and Finland. The stamp is based on an illustration from a 1702 book by Thomas C. Holm

Title: The Ring Necked Pheasant and Its Postage Stamp Continental Chrome PM 1988 Apr-29 Description: First Day of Issue: April 29, 1988 First Issue Location: Rapid City, South Dakota Unicover Corporation		Title: Jack London Continental Chrome PM 1988 May-3 Description: First Day of Issue: May 3, 1988 First Issue Location: San Francisco California. Author Jack London brought adventure into ordinary lives. Where men and animals faced the fiercest competitions nature could provide, London set stories of noble spirit and basic emotional drives. Born in San Francisco in 1876, London drew from his own experiences. Most noticeably, his trip to the Yukon Territory in 1987 provided inspiration for his greatest work, The Call of the Wild. But, London also incorporated his experience as a seaman into his stories. In The Sea-Wolf, he wrote about a sea captain named Wolf Larsen, so primitive he could have been born, "before the development of moral nature." And, in Martin Eden, London's hero is also a seaman, driven by a thirst for knowledge and power. In portraying instincts which surface outside of societal structures, London found success as a writer. Today, he is remembered as one of the greatest adventure writers of his time. The stamp on this Maximum Card was issued in sheet form in 1986, then was reissued in booklet form in 1988. This stamp was part of a booklet pane of six

Title: Idaho Continental Chrome PM 1990 Jan-6 Description: Ed Little Idaho Statehood. First Date of Issue: January 6, 1990. First Issue Location: Boise, Idaho Unicover Corporation		Title: Jack London San Francisco (CA), Continental Chrome PM 1988 May-3 Description: Tom Lydon No.88-21. Survival, and basic instincts for freedom and power drove Jack London to success as a writer. In 1897, London was just 21 years old when he heard of a Gold Rush in the Klondike region of the Yukon Territory in Canada. There, in the frozen isolation, he found the challenges of survival and the basic driving forces of men and animals. Out of that experience, London drew portraits of men locked in deadly struggles and domestic dogs forced back to the brutality of nature. His most famous work, The Call of the Wild, was written in 1903. The classic story shows the effects of circumstance and environment. Vividly portraying the need for freedom and power, in situations removed from societal control, London made statements about society and the nature of man. Jack London is celebrated as one of America's greatest adventure writers, and is honored on the stamp on this Maximum Card. The stamp was originally issued in sheet form in 1986, and was reissued during the rate change of 1988. This stamp comes from the booklet pane of ten Unicover Corporation

Title: Love Sheet Continental Chrome PM 1990 Jan-18 Description: First Day of Issue: January 18, 1990; First Issue Location: Romance, Arkansas. Love is among the strongest of human emotions, and it has its own special day - Valentine's Day. A festival of romance and affection, Valentine's Day most likely evolved from an ancient Roman celebration called Lupercalia, observed on February 15. Throughout Rome, young men and women drew at random the name of a partner from a box. Then the two exchanged gifts and other tokens of affection. As Christianity spread, the church added a religious meaning to the ancient pagan festivities, changing the date of the festival to February 14 and calling it Saint Valentine's Day. By the 1800's, the celebration had become popular in the United States, giving rise to the exchange of hand-painted Valentine Cards bearing sentimental verses and elaborately decorated with ribbons, lace, cupids, flowers, birds, and of course, hearts. The lovely artwork and sheet stamp featured on this Maximum Card are reminiscent of these Valentines, dedicated to love		Title: Love Booklet Continental Chrome PM 1990 Jan-18 Description: First Day of Issue: January 18, 1990; First Issue Location: Romance, Arkansas. Love is ... smooth, sandy, foam-kissed beaches at midnight. Cool, crisp, dew-glossed grasses at dawn. Time and the elements take on particular beauty and import when seen through the eyes of love. Two sets of footprints meander along a moonlit beach, disappearing now and again to become entwined with the waves that gently lap up their progress. Dawn brings sunny thoughts to lighten daily chores with pauses now and then of frolicsome laughter as the sun awakens the earth with an embrace of warmth and light. Every hour of the day and night is special to people in love. Whether involved in the love of romance, friendship, family, or the love of life, lovers have a very optimistic outlook. The world is a wonderful place to be; its inhabitants, wondrous creatures. The possibilities and promise of love make life worth living, from the darkest night through the most lustrous daybreak. It is in celebration of this love that the Postal Service has issued the Love Booklet stamp featured on this Maximum Card

Title: Ida B. Wells Continental Chrome PM 1990 Feb-1 Description: First Day of Issue: February 1, 1990 First Issue Location: Chicago, Illinois American journalist and reformer Ida B. Wells campaigned on many human rights issues, including the fight to give women the right to vote, but she is most well known for fighting the random lynching of blacks by mobs during the late 1800s and early 1900s. During that time, many blacks were lynched without so much as a trial after being accused of a crime; others were lynched for no apparent reason at all. Wells worked to expose such murders and stop them. Born a slave in 1862, Wells became a part-owner of and reporter for the newspaper Free Speech. In 1892, after three of her friends were hanged in Memphis, she began to investigate lynchings and other violence against blacks. And in 1909, she was instrumental in founding the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). One of the most influential civil rights organizations in the United States, the NAACP advocates nonviolent protest against discrimination. The group's early efforts against lynching led to the abolishment of the practice Unicover Corporation		Title: Beach Umbrella Continental Chrome PM 1990 Feb-3 Description: First Day of Issue: February 3, 1990; First Issue Location: Sarasota, Florida. The combination of sun, surf and sand has long attracted people in droves. Many a day off finds beach fans packing up duffle bags, picnic baskets and station wagons and heading for the spot where land meets water and sun meets sand. People-watching from the shade of a brightly colored beach umbrella is just one of the many joys of a day at the beach. Kids of all ages venture out from under the cover of the umbrella to roast in the sun, becoming wonderful hues of deep gold and tawny brown, or in come cases, painful shades of lobster red. They cavort in the waves with huge inflatable creatures shaped like dinosaurs, dragons, sharks and whales. Further out, past the flotilla enjoyed by the less serious "waterbabies", they "hang ten" on surfboards, gliding shoreward gracefully over the water. And when the sun sets, they close umbrellas, pack paraphernalia into station wagons, and slowly straggle homeward. But as sure as the sun will rise again, they will return to the beach scene

Title: The United States Supreme Court Continental Chrome PM 1990 Feb-2 Description: First Day of Issue: February 2, 1990; First Issue Location: Washington, D.C. For two hundred years, the United States Supreme Court has been the highest court in the land. The original Court consisted of six members. They were John Jay, James Wilson, John Rutledge, William Cushing, John Blair and Robert Harrison. Shortly after the Court's inception, Harrison was replaced by James Iredell. John Jay, who appears on this Maximum Card, wrote five of the Federalist Papers, and was the first Chief Justice of the United States. Before serving as a justice, Scottish-born Wilson was responsible for incorporating into the U.S. Constitution the principle that sovereignty resides with the people. Rutledge was also instrumental in drafting the Constitution, and in 1795 was appointed Chief Justice. Cushing served as a justice from 1789 to 1810, and Blair served from 1789 to 1796. Iredell was made a justice to the newly established Court in 1790 and served until 1799. The stamp and artwork featured on this Maximum Card honor the Supreme Court and the many fine justices who have served there		Title: Luis Munoz Marin Continental Chrome PM 1990 Feb-18 Description: First Day of Issue: February 18, 1990 First Issue Location: San Juan, Puerto Rico Born in San Juan in 1898, Luis Munoz Marin was educated in the United States. In 1926, he returned to San Juan to become the editor of the Puerto Rican newspaper La Democracia. This work sparked Marin's interest in politics and led to his election to the Puerto Rican Senate in 1932, where he founded the Popular Democratic Party and rose to the Senate presidency. In 1948 he became the first popularly elected governor of Puerto Rico, an office he was to hold for three terms. Though he was originally a spokesman for independence, Marin decided that increased autonomy in continuing association with the United States was economically the best posture for Puerto Rico in 1952. It also transformed Puerto Rico from the "Poorhouse of the Caribbean" into one of the most successful economies in the area. The five-cent stamp featured on this Maximum Card honors the ninety-second anniversary of Marin's birth

Title: Wyoming Statehood Centennial Continental Chrome PM 1990 Feb-23 Description: First Day of Issue: February 23, 1990; First Issue Location: Cheyenne, Wyoming. Sparsely populated and for the most part unspoiled, Wyoming's natural beauty and old west atmosphere draw thousands of visitors annually, making tourism one of the state's major industries. Fur trappers and mountain men were largely responsible for opening the area to the white man in the early 1800's, while completion of the Wyoming segment of the Union Pacific Railroad prompted an influx of white settlers in the 1860's. After pioneering political equality in 1869 by extending the vote to women, Wyoming became the "Equality State" in 1890, admitted as the forty-fourth state of the Union. Fittingly, Wyoming was the first state to elect a woman governor, Nellie Tayloe Ross, pictured in the lower right corner of the cachet featured on this Maximum Card. The artwork also features Devil's Tower, the country's first national monument, a wagon train of settlers, several of the brown bears that make Wyoming's Yellowstone National Park their home and a cowboy on a rearing horse, a longtime symbol of this rough and rugged state		Title: Stagecoach Hollywood (CA), Continental Chrome PM 1990 Mar-23 Description: No.90-12. With his marvelous 1939 western, Stagecoach, director John Ford ended the ten years of jerky artifice that had been "the talkies." This intricate, brilliantly-directed, action-packed adventure allowed audiences to gallop recklessly across the Apache-menaced plains of Arizona alongside well-developed and complex characters superbly played by John Wayne, Claire Trevor, Thomas Mitchell, George Bancroft, Berton Churchill, John Carradine, Donald Meek and others--all splendidly photographed by Bert Glennon. It is a story of the relationships among passengers during an angst-ridden stagecoach journey punctuated by an Indian attack by Geronimo and his fearsome band, the impending birth of a baby, and a shootout between outlaw Ringo Kid--played by John Wayne--and the evil Plummer boys. Though similar plots had graced the big screen, none had been brought to life the way Stagecoach was. It demonstrated that westerns could simultaneously be timeless, attractive, serious, action-packed films

Title: Beau Geste Continental Chrome PM 1990 Mar-23 Description: Tom McNeely First day of issue: March 23, 1990 First issue location: Hollywood, California The original silent film of Beau Geste was made in 1926 with Ronald Coleman in the title role and Noah Beery as the tyrannical Sgt. Mackoff. Gary Cooper portrayed Beau Geste and Brian Donleavy the sergeant in William Wellman's 1939 remake. Now considered a classic in its own right, the remake was at first sharply criticized for paralleling the 1926 original almost scene for scene. Some reviewers promptly delcared it little more than a "talking mummy of the original." Fortunately, Newsweek and New York's World-Telegraph praised the new picture in glowing terms and audiences swarmed to see the three dashing, upper-class Brothers Geste, would-be heroes destined for tragedy played by Cooper, Ray Milland and Robert Preston. One brother steals a precious family jewel so their aunt won't be forced to sell it. The trio leaves home in disgrace to contend with desert varmints and Foreign Legion tyrant Sgt. Makoff, each Geste brother taking the blame for the crime. In the end, only one survives to discover the theft was unnecessary		Title: Gone With the Wind Hollywood (CA), Continental Chrome PM 1990 Mar-23 Description: No.90-10. Gone With the Wind is an unforgettable masterpiece based on Margaret Mitchell's compelling novel of the Civil War South with sterling performances by Clark Gable as the dashing Rhett Butler and Vivien Leigh as the spoiled beauty. It received ten Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Actress--Vivien Leigh--and Best Supporting Actress--Hattie McDaniel, the first black to win an Oscar. Nearly three years of extensive advance publicity virtually guaranteed the success of the film. Despite the aura of excitement and anticipation, Gone With the Wind was almost not made. Producer David O. Selznick at first rejected the novel's story as too long and involved for the big screen, and passed up the movie rights. Only after a change of heart did Selznick translate the novel into the longest film made to that date--3 hours and 39 minutes--and the epic movie packed theaters with record-breaking ticket sales. Today, the movie's popularity is undiminished, an American institution which thrills new generations the world over

Title: The Wizard of Oz Hollywood (CA), Continental Chrome PM 1990 Mar-23 Description: No.90-9. The Wizard of Oz easily ranks as the happiest, most beloved movie ever made. Modern audiences, like their counterparts of yesteryear, are captivated by the youthful innocence of Dorothy--immortalized by Judy Garland, "Over the Rainbow's" timeless message and the Witch of the West's spine-tingling wickedness. The wonderful Wicked Witch character, the casting of talents like Garland as Dorothy, Frank Morgan as Oz, Ray Bolger as the Scarecrow, Bert Lahr as the Cowardly Lion, Jack Haley as the Tinman, and Margaret Hamilton as the Wicked Witch of the West, plus the use of dazzling special effects worked together to make the 1939 production--one of the first films to use color--a magical and enduring celebration of innocence and imagination. No wonder the actors and actresses themselves achieved such immortality for the characters they portrayed		Title: Marianne Moore Continental Chrome PM 1990 Apr-18 Description: First Day of Issue: April 18, 1990; First Issue Location: Brooklyn, NY. Born in a suburb of St. Louis, Missouri, on November 15, 1887, Marianne Moore was a teacher, librarian, editor and mentor to young artists as well as a poet of great renown. A graduate of Bryn Mawr College, she spent most of her adult life in Brooklyn, where she was a devoted fan of the Brooklyn Dodgers baseball team. Moore entertained an inordinate interest in athletes and animals which she said "are subjects of art and exemplars of it...minding their own business." Of her own art, the poet said, "I like straight writing, end-stopped lines, an effect of flowing continuity." That she achieved this style is confirmed by the words commonly used to describe her own work - clarity, precision, cleanness and accuracy. In 1952, following a lifetime spent publishing works of her own and encouraging those of aspiring young writers, Moore won the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Award, and the Bollingen Prize. She continued her life's work and her encouragement of others until her death in New York City on February 5, 1972

Title: Sandy Hook, New Jersey Continental Chrome PM 1990 Apr-26 Description: First Day of Issue: April 26, 1990; First Issue Location: Washington, D.C. The Sandy Hook Lighthouse is the oldest maritime light tower still standing and in use in the United States. Built by the British, the octagonal beacon was lighted for the first time on June 11, 1764. Though it was originally called the "New York Lighthouse," the tower stands on the New Jersey side of Lower New York Bay. After the revolutionary war, Sandy Hook Lighthouse was ceded to the infant United States by the state of New Jersey, and the new government agreed to maintain the beacon thereafter. One of George Washington's first acts as President was to direct that a light be kept burning permanently at Sandy Hook. Over ten thousand dollars was raised for its maintenance between 1804 and 1817, and by 1832 there were two lighthouses lighting Sandy Hook, one to the north and one to the west. Today, one beacon remains, and will hopefully survive for many years through the efforts of the federal government and the lighthouse preservation movement		Title: Cape Hatteras, North Carolina Continental Chrome PM 1990 Apr-26 Description: First Day of Issue: April 26, 1990; First Issue Location: Washington, D.C. The Cape Hatteras Lighthouse lies at the crook of a bending arm of barrier islands off the coast of North Carolina known as the Outer Banks. The turbulent waters and shifting sandbars of nearby Diamond Shoals have vexed mariners for centuries, and many a voyage has ended here in tragedy as storm and shoal conspired to defeat even the most experienced navigator. In an attempt to assist these hardy sailors, a lighthouse has been signaling from Cape Hatteras since 1803, but the lighthouse itself may soon become a victim of the sea. In its early days, more than a mile of beach protected the brick tower of the lighthouse from the threat of the sea. Today, at high tide in winter, the beach may only measure one hundred fifty feet. Over the years, attempts have been made to replenish the beach and halt the encroachment of the sea against this, the tallest brick lighthouse in America. These efforts will continue and in the future, such rescues may be funded at least in part by The Lighthouse Preservation Society and its friends

Title: Admiralty Head, Washington Continental Chrome PM 1990 Apr-26 Description: First Day of Issue: April 26, 1990; First Issue Location: Washington, D.C. From man's earliest seafaring days, volcanoes like Etna, Stromboli and Vesuvius served as natural lighthouses, and as early as 280 B.C., man-made lighthouses marked harbors and headwaters. From these beginnings, the lighthouse developed into a priceless navigational tool such as the beacon at Admiralty Head, Washington. positioned at the east entrance to Admiralty Inlet and the Puget Sound. The life of this lighthouse was relatively brief. Built in 1903, the maritime traffic pattern had changed by the mid-1920's, and the lantern was removed from this tower in 1927. Though no light has gleamed from Admiralty Head in more than six decades, the structure has become one of the most popular tourist attractions of the area. The lighthouse was restored and opened to the public by the Washington State Parks and Island County Historical Society. Similar efforts by The Lighthouse Preservation Society and its friends will hopefully keep America's early lighthouses from disappearing quietly into the annals of history		Title: West Quoddy Head, Main Postage Stamp Continental Chrome PM 1990 Apr-25 Description: First Day of Issue: April 26, 1990 First Issue Location: Washington DC In the "American Light House Guide of 1850," author Robert Mills described the West Quoddy Lighthouse-- located on Passamaquoddy Head, the easternmost point of the United States-- as a "harbor light . . . seen at a distance of seven leagues in clear weather . . . Attached to this lighthouse is a bell weighing one thousand pounds, which in foggy weather will strike ten times in a minute, and may be heard at the distance of five miles in calm weather." The fog bell placed at West Quoddy Head was one of the first along the coast of Maine. The keeper at the lighthouse was paid sixty dollars extra a year to ring the bell in fog to warn ships away from the treacherous Sail Rocks. Even so, a particularly demanding sea captain by the name of Joseph Smith, upon surveying the lights of Maine in 1837, was displeased with the bell's tenor and did not hesitate to pose the grander idea. "a sharp-toned bell of four thousand pounds weight, struck by machinery properly constructed and proportioned to the bell."

Title: American Shoals, Florida Continental Chrome PM 1990 Apr-26 Description: First Day of Issue: April 26, 1990; First Issue Location: Washington, D.C. The American Shoals Lighthouse stands in solitude with its feet in the sea, oblivious to the onslaught of waves even after the passage of over one hundred years. The lighthouse blinks a staccato warning of dangerous reefs to give mariners their bearings in a seascape that can appear as foreign as the surface of a planet from another galaxy when blanked in darkness. As early as 1851, plans were in the works for a series of great offshore lighthouses like American Shoals to mark the reefs which lurk perilously silent in Florida's waters. These towers, all of skeleton iron construction to help them withstand the hurricane's fury, were guilt over a period of almost thirty years. American Shoals, the last of the series, was completed in 1880. First lighted on July 15, 1880, it has significantly reduced the number of shipwrecks along this treacherous coastline. Today, this tower is just the sort of vintage lighthouse The Lighthouse Preservation Society seeks to save for the future		Title: America's First Plastic Stamp Continental Chrome PM 1990 May-18 Description: First Day of Issue: May 18, 1990 First Issue Location: Seattle, Washington The special self-adhesive 25c Flag stamp featured on this Maximum Card was the first plastic stamp to be issued by the United States. It was produced in a new format consisting of twelve stamps per pane, each pane approximately the size of a dollar bill. The new size of the pane and the plastic type paper were used so this innovative stamp could be vended like money at automated teller machines on a test basis. The stamp's patriotic design features a red, white and blue flag motif with red inscriptions. The flag motif has long been a popular theme for U.S. Postage Stamps, among them the 3c Raising of the Flag at Iwo Jima issued in 1945; the 1952 stamp commemorating the Birth of Betsy Ross; the 50-Star Flag Stamp issued in 1960 to commemorate Hawaii's admission to the Union; and many more recent issues. In 1990, the United States Post Office continued its tradition of flag stamps with the innovative Plastic 25c Flag Stamp featured on this Maximum Card

Title: Rhode Island Statehood Bicentennial Pawtucket (RI), Continental Chrome PM 1990 May-29 Description: David K. Stone No. 90-21. Born in freedom, adaptable and enterprising, tiny Rhode Island epitomizes all the ambiguities of the mighty American dream. The state's founder, Roger Williams, moved to the area in 1636 with a handful of his followers. Williams' belief in religious liberty and freedom of conscience led to the development of political liberty and practical democracy. The colony prospered and grew self-reliant, and when its people felt poorly served by British policies, they readily supported the founding of a new nation. However, in keeping with the Rhode Islanders' belief in freedom, many were hesitant to join a nation that allowed slavery. The cautious citizens of Rhode Island would not be rushed in their decision and only after twelve of the original thirteen states ratified the Constitution and joined the Union did Rhode Island's legislature decide to hold a ratifying convention. Because of issues like slavery, the vote was close, but Rhode Island finally squeaked into the Union with thirty-four delegates in favor, thirty-two opposed Unicover Corporation		Title: A Self Portrait by Grant Wood Continental Chrome unused Description: Many of the paintings done by Grant Wood centered around the beauty of the Anamosa countryside

Title: Saw-whet Owl Continental Chrome PM 1988 May-28 Description: First Day of Issue: May 28, 1988 First Issue Location: Arlington, Virginia Measuring a mere seven to eight inches, the tiny, tuftless, saw-whet owl is truly a bird of the night. Hunting the dense forests of the Northern United States and Canada -- its short wings enabling it to maneuver easily among the trees -- the saw-whet own will sleep by day. Perhaps because of this, and its small size, this charming bird is seldom spotted by man. Often, the only clue to its presence is the mellow whistle used at mating time. A curious call, sounding like the sharpening of a saw, gives this little bird its name. Thus, the saw-whet owl blends well in the coniferous forest surroundings it inhabits. If sited, it is found to be amazingly tame, allowing people to come relatively close for a better look. In daylight hours, the saw-whet owl will roost in the peaceful solitude of dense evergreen trees. Issued as part of a booklet pane of two wildlife stamps, the stamp on this Maximum Card depicts the tiny saw-whet owl		Title: Rose-breasted Grosbeak Continental Chrome PM 1988 May-28 Description: First day of issue: May 28, 1988 First issue location: Arlington, Virginia A loud "peek" heard through the orchard, and a long whistle-like song are the first signs that the rose-breasted grosbeak is there. Then, as the black and white bird comes close enough, a stunning flash of deep rose across its chest confirms the sighting. As it takes to the air, this lovely grosbeak displays rose wing linings and a white wing patch. A member of the finch family, this bird makes its nest in the elderberry bushes or on a horizontal branch of aspen or oak. There, the female will lay pale blue eggs spotted with brown. Among America's best-loved birds, the rose breasted grosbeak is found in northern woodlands, in the suburbs, and in among the orchard trees. In fall, the grosbeaks gather in flocks to migrate south for the winter. En route, they hide in treetops and forego elaborate songs for single short notes. The male, by this time, has lost his brilliant coloring. But, come spring, the rose-breasted grosbeak will return again to share his songs

Title: Seeking Queen Isabella's Support Continental Chrome PM 1992 Apr-24 Description: First Day of Issue: April 24, 1992; First Issue Location: Christiansted, US Virgin Islands. Born in Genoa, Italy, in 1451, Christopher Columbus made his first voyage at age 19 or 20, and the sea became his life. In 1477 Columbus found himself in Portugal. Like Spain and Italy, Portugal sought a navigable route to the Indies, and its seamen followed the treacherous African coastline to find an easterly route. Columbus maintained that the east could be reached by sailing directly west, but King John II of Portugal refused to invest in his far-readching plan. In 1485 Columbus approached King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain. Seven years passed before Columbus heard from the Spanish court, Isabella agreed to support his voyage and agreed as well to grant Columbus's ambitious demands - that he be named an admiral, a noble and governor of any lands discovered, and that he receive a percentage of any trades established with discovered territories. In honor of the 500th anniversary of Columbus's first voyage, the stamp and artwork on this First Day of Issue Postcard pay tribute to the Italian mariner who forever altered man's perception of his world		Title: Crossing the Atlantic Continental Chrome PM 1992 Apr-25 Description: First Day of Issue: April 24, 1992 First Issue Location: Christiansted, US Virgin Islands For his first voyage, Columbus received three ships from King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. The Pinta and the Nina, two caravels designed to sail fleetly into the wind, accompanied Columbus' flagship, the Mariagalante - officially renamed the Santa Maria. The ships set sail from the Spanish port of Palos on August 3, 1492. A good compass and crude quadrant were the admiral's only tools, for he measured latitude by the North Star and navigated by dead reckoning. Nine days later the ships reached the Canary Islands and on September 6, they put out to sea on a course set for due west. The sailors watched the last image of familiar ground disappear below the eastern horizon. For three weeks the ships sailed on. The Journal of the First Voyage noted on September 16 that "The Admiral (Columbus) says here that today and ever thereafter they had very mild breezes that the savor of the mornings was a great delight, that the only thing wanting was to hear nightingales. Says he, 'The weather was like April in Andalucia.'"

Title: Approaching Land Continental Chrome PM 1992 Apr-24 Description: First Day of Issue: April 24, 1992; First Issue Location: Christiansted, US Virgin Islands. By the 5th century B.C., Greek astronomers and mathematicians realized the earth was spherical in shape. The astronomical and geographical observations of Ptolemy, an Egyptian mathematician of the 2nd century B.C., guided scientific thought until the 16th century, but his ancient miscalculations of the earth's circumference made land masses appear much closer by sea than they actually were. Few sailors of Columbus's day believed the world was flat. So when mutinous rumblings echoed below the decks of his ships, Columbus knew it was not fear of falling off the edge of the world that roused his crews' ire - it was fear of the wind. Caravels had never before carried sailors so far from home. Could these sturdy ships carry them safely back to Spain against strong easterly winds? With rousing cries of "Adelante!", Columbus assured them that land would soon be sighted. Events proved him right, for two hours after midnight land was sighted. Columbus and his men waited to see what manner of land sunrise brought to light		Title: Coming ashore Continental Chrome PM 1992 Apr-24 Description: First day of issue: April 24, 1992 First issue location: Christiansted, US Virgin Islands A veritable island paradise lay revealed in the sun's brilliant light, and the Italian mariner was eager to explore its luch interior. Accompanied by his two captains and other officials, Columbus marched ashore carrying the royal banner. Claiming the island for Spain's king and queen, Columbus renamed it San Salvador. Later journal entries maintained that the admiral "... never beheld so fair a thing..." Still convinced he had reached the Indies, Columbus called the local Arawak natives "indians," but he spent only three days exploring San Salvador before casting off to investigate what lay beyond the island. For nearly three months, the small fleet glided in and out of a dozen or more exotic ports, sailing coastlines from Cuba to Hispanola. On Christmas Eve, the Santa Maria shipwrecked on a reef off Haiti. But ever willing to take advantage of opportunity, Columbus ordered a fort built on the island and left 40 of his men to search for gold until his return. On January 16, 1943, the Nina and Pinta triumphantly set sail alone for home

Title: Space Exploration Continental Chrome unused Description: Dean Ellis First Day of Issue: May 29, 1992; First Issue Location: Chicago, Illinois. Once they were rivals in the conquest of space. But today the U.S. and Russia together plan a joint mission to a planet named for the Roman god of war. Mars has long beckoned to the men of Earth, a mysterious ruddy orb in the night sky. Recently, tales of canals and little green men have given way to concrete data from unmanned probes. Drier than any Earthly desert, Mars is still the most likely of the planets to harbor life. Its atmosphere contains oxygen, nitrogen, carbon dioxide and even water vapor. And evidence suggests that at one time water flowed there. In fact, scientists theorize Mars once had enough water to cover the entire planet 33 feet deep! The puzzllng question remains: Where did it all go? The design of this First Day of Issue Postcard depicts Americans and Russians together assembling a spacecraft for the hoped-for U.S.-Russia mission to Mars. Perhaps by visiting the Red Planet, we can learn enough to prevent the same type of catastrophe from happening here		Title: Apollo-Soyuz Postage Stamp Continental Chrome PM 1992 May-29 Description: First Day of Issue: May 29, 1992 First Issue Location: Chicago, Illinois

Title: Manned Lunar Landing Continental Chrome unused Description: First Day of Issue: May 29, 1992; First Issue Location: Chicago, Illinois. So near, yet so far, the Moon has beckoned to the men of Earth since the dawn of time. A mere 240,000 miles from Earth, it's right next door by celestial standards. Yet it wasn't until 1969 that men finally reached out and touched the satellite some had said was made of "green cheese." On July 20 of that year, astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin radioed back to Earth: "Houston. Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed." Soon after touchdown, Armstrong stepped out onto the surface of the Moon, saying "That's one small step for a man; a giant leap for mankind." This profound statement was followed by two-and-a-half hours of intense activity outside the Lunar Module as Armstrong and Aldrin gathered 45 pounds of rock samples, took dozens of photographs and set up a seismometer to measure "moon quakes." Armstrong, fascinated by the view, took so many snapshots that Mission Control had to remind him four times to get on with his other tasks Dean Ellis		Title: Space Shuttle "Columbia" First Day of Issue: May 29, 1992 29c Continental Chrome PM 1992 Description: First Issue Location: Chicago, Illinois On April 12, 1981--by chance 20 years to the day afer Yuri Gagarin became the first man in space--America's first space shuttle blasted into orbit and into the history books. The launch of the Space Shuttle "Columbia" was the first time a manned American spacecraft had ever been sent into space without prior unmanned testing. But NASA's confidence in its new shuttle was justified. Despite a troublesome tendancy for exterior heat shield tiles to break loose, "Columbia" functioned flawlessly. Spacious and even luxurious in comparison to earlier spaceships, "Columbia" was pressurized at 14.7 psi--the same air pressure experienced at sea level. In addition, temperatures were kept comfortably low. During its maiden voyage, astronauts John Young and Robert Crippen circled the Earth 39 times in shirt-sleeved comfort. As hoped for, "Columbia" was ready to fly again in seven short months, its successful re-launch signalling the beginning of a new era in manned space exploration

Title: 1932 Packard - First Day of Issue: August 25, 1988 Continental Chrome PM 1988 Aug-25 Description: First Issue Location: Detroit, Michigan The Packard was born at the turn of the century--as the automobile industry itself began to take hold. The history of this elegant auto began with a consumer complaint. James W. Packard had bought a car from Alexander Winton, the largest manufacturer of automobiles in the United States at that time. But Packard's grievances were many, and finally Winton responded that if Packard didn't like the car he had, maybe he should build one of his own. So Packard, his brother, and a few talented employees formed the Packard Motor Company - a name that would adorn elegant cars for more than forty years. Through these years, Packard was the company to watch for innovation. Packard was the first to replace the tiller with a steering wheel, and to pioneer the H-slot shifter in American cars. In 1924, Packard offered the first reasonably priced straight-eight engine. In 1928, at its height, Packard sold 50,000 luxury cars to the American well-to-do, "a sign of life's best riches and social rewards."		Title: Locomobile Detroit (MI), Continental Chrome PM 1988 Aug-25 Description: No.88-48. A rather odd-looking contraption, the first effort of the Locomobile Company was actually a welded bicycle frame-work topped by a carriage body equipped with a twin-cylinder engine and a boiler beneath the driver's seat. It sold for $600--not much of a bargain, for it required constant lubrication and water every twenty miles. But from these humble beginnings grew a company of pride and a product of beauty and style. In fact, as the years went by the Locomobile Company began to produce some of the most luxurious and elegant touring cars ever seen in America. With T-shaped cabs and long, elegant body styles, running boards and sometimes convertible roofs, the Locomobile evolved into a popular, sporty vehicle, perfectly suited to the 1920's and America's freewheeling way of life. by 1929, the Locomobile Company was into its final year of production, and its days of advertising "no stock parts or ready-made units" had come to a close

Title: Olympic Baseball Atlanta (GA), Continental Chrome PM 1992 Apr-3 Description: Tom McNeely No.92-12. The repetitive cries of a concessions vendor peddling stadium hot dogs; the resounding crack as bat meets ball; the crowd's deafening roar of approval as the batter sails one out of the ballpark--these are the sights and sounds of America's favorite spectator sport. Legend says New Yorker Abner Doubleday invented baseball in 1839. Baseball scholars stoutly maintain that the 17th century English game of rounders is the true precursor to the sport, but Alexander J. Cartwright is largely credited with creating in 1845 a standardized version of the game, from which modern baseball evolved. The game's popularity soon skyrocketed, and amateur teams sprang up throughout the country. During the 20th century, baseball fever has become a world-wide epidemic. In 1992, teams from across the globe traveled to Barcelona, Spain, to compete for the first time in the summer Olympic Games. At last, amateur baseball players were allowed to compete for the coveted gold, silver and bronze medals awarded to the world's best athletes		Title: In 1906 the Columbia Mark 43 Motor Car - 25c - First Day of Issue Continental Chrome PM 1989 Nov-19 Description: was the first official gasoline-powered vehicle used by the United States Post Office Department. The narrow vehicles were used for the collection of mail from street letterboxes. The stamp was designed by Mark Hess

Title: Three Generations of Letter Carriers Continental Chrome PM 1989 Nov-19 Description: CLASSIC MAIL TRANSPORTATION First Day of Issue: November 19, 1989 First Issue Location: Washington, D.C. When the U.S. Postal Service proudly announced in 1895 that it had commissioned a newfangled auto truck for mail delivery, more than a few eyebrows were raised. Nevertheless, in December of 1899 a shiny Winton motor wagon with a "U.S. Mail" sign completed a rattling test drive through the snow-covered streets of Cleveland, Ohio. Even following the success of this run, the Postal Service was hesitant to invest money in a delivery service it wasn't sure would succeed on a mass scale. Finally, after two trucks were successfully used to collect mail from street letter boxes in Baltimore in 1906, the Postal Service expanded use of the automobile, and by the mid-1950's the automobile and motor truck had become America's main form of mail transport. The cachet on this Maximum Card traces three generations of letter carriers, from a mailman of the 1890's, through a group with their trusty mail wagon of the 1920's, to the reflective contemporary postal carrier who remembers them all		Title: Mail Transportation of the Future - First Day of Issue November 27, 1989 45c Continental Chrome PM 1989 Nov-27 Description: How mail may be transported in the future - a mail vehicle zooming over a highway on a cusion of air. The stamp was designed by Ken Hodges

Title: The Tractor Continental Chrome PM 1989 May-26 Description: First Day of Issue: May 26, 1989; First Issue Location: Rosemont, Illinois. Before 1870, almost all farm work was done by hand. With the advent of the "traction engine" during the 1870's, however, the farmer's burden began to ease. The "traction engine" was the first tractor - a large awkward steam-driven machine which was soon replaced by a smaller, more practical tractor with a kerosene-powered engine mounted on a four-wheeled frame. Then, in the 1920's the all-purpose tractor was developed. The forerunner of today's tractor, this machine's only shortcoming was that it was usually manufactured in only one model or size, with no frills and no extras. In comparison, tractors now come in a huge variety of shapes and sizes, with a list of available options that would make any automobile owner envious. Air conditioning, the best in stereo equipment - even televisions, telephones, and refrigerators are common features of the modern tractor. Though farming is still hard work, today's farmer has certainly come a long way from the toil of the past!		Title: Baseball as a Sport Continental Chrome PM 1989 Jun-10 Description: First Day of Issue: June 10, 1989 First Issue Location: Cooperstown, New York Rules used in baseball today are similar to those used in the early days, with the exception of a few important changes adopted during the second half of the nineteenth century. For instance, early games were played until one team scored twenty-one points. The present nine-inning rule wasn't adopted until 1857. Since 1864, balls caught on the bounce have been playable, but originally, balls caught on the fly or after one bounce were outs. Then, as now, three strikes made an out -- but originally strikes had to be pitches swung at and missed. When a coach in the early days said, "Wait for the right one," the batter might wait a long, long time -- thrown strikes weren't recognized until 1868! Further, a batter couldn't be walked until 1879, and even then only after nine balls; the present four ball walk rule was introduced in 1889. These rule changes made possible modern baseball and legendary players like Lou Gehrig, whose skill, talent and quiet courage are honored with the stamp featured on this Maximum Card

Title: Michigan Statehood Continental Chrome PM 1987 Jan-26 Description: First Day of Issue: January 26, 1987; First Issue Location: Lansing, Michigan. The vast upland forests and prairies of Michigan were first populated by the Chippewa, Menominee, Miami, Ottawa, Potowatami, and Wyandot Indian Tribes. The first permanent settlement in Michigan was founded by Father Jacques Marquette at Sault St. Marie in 1668, and in 1701 Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac founded the settlement at the present site of Detroit. Michigan made little progress as a French territory; few settlers came - most established missions or trading posts for the fur trappers. By 1763, the British took control of the region after their victory in the French and Indian Wars. With America's victory in the Revolutionary War, Michigan became part of the new United States. Later, Congress created the Michigan Territory in 1805. And with the opening of the Erie Canal in 1825, settlers flocked to the Michigan Territory. By 1837, Michigan was admitted as the twenty-sixth state in the Union with twenty three year old Stevens T. Mason serving as the state's first governor		Title: Tow truck Continental Chrome PM 1987 Jan-24 Description: First day of issue: January 24, 1987 First issue location: Tucson, Arizona During the early part of the twentieth century, the introduction of the "Tin Lizzie" made automobiles accessible to nearly everyone. With this new freedom on the road came the tribulations of maintenance, plus the threat of emergency repairs. Thus, garages and service stations were quick to do the roadsides. At first, garages used ordinary cars to tow stricken vehicles back to their shops. But, as cars became heavier, the need arose for more specialized equipment. Initially, light pick-up trucks carrying a length of rope were used. This naturally led to the mounting of a light crane on the rear bed of the truck. Ernst Holmes of Chattanooga, Tennessee, pioneered the recovery tow truck in 1914. He placed a twin boom unit mounted on a "Liberty" chassis which could recover a car from the front, side, or rear. By 1915, an improved and much simpler design appeared, and toward the end of World War I, the tow truck was put to use by the US Army. And by 1920, the first commercially produced models were wold to private operators

Title: Tractor-Trailer Continental Chrome PM 1991 May-25 Description: First Day of Issue: May 25, 1991 First Issue Location: Secaucus, New Jersey The trucking industry started rather inauspiciously almost one hundred years ago with the invention of Gottlieb Daimler's belt drive truck, a feeble four-horsepower machine that had two speeds forward and one in reverse. Two years later, in 1898, the German invention was bested by a truck produced by the Winston Company of the United States, which boasted a whopping six-horsepower, single-cylinder engine. Before long, the truck began to evolve, given more horsepower and hauling capacity. The truck also found its way into warfare, first being used during World War I on a few battlefields. In World War II, the horse was virtually replaced by trucks on nearly every front. Today, the trucking industry is one of the largest in the United States, with big tractor-trailers hauling goods thousands of miles every day. Modern trucks burn diesel fuel almost exclusively in engines which produce over four hundred-horsepower and drive as many as sixteen forward gears, a far cry from the Daimler's invention one hundred years ago		Title: 1920's Tractor Sarasota (FL), Continental Chrome PM 1987 Feb-6 Description: No.87-5. The Tractor of the 1920's evolved from the internal combustion engine Tractor-Motor machines of the 1890's. These machines made the cultivation and harvesting of large tracts of land possible. No longer was it necessary to raise farm work animals such as draught horses or oxen. A single man and his machine could now increase both a farm's workable acreage and crop yield with an undreamed-of efficiency. Yet until the 1920's, the Tractor was primarily a mobile source of power for operating equipment such as threshers. However, the introduction of the "power takeoff;" which allowed rotary power from the engine to be transmitted through a flexible shaft to drive hay balers, combines or mowers; revolutionized the Tractor's role in farm production. One farmer could now produce enough to feed twenty people. Today's modern Tractors are divided into two main types; Wheeled Tractors, still commonly found on farms across the nation, and Caterpillar Tractors which move on treads

Title: Lacemaking Designs Ypsilant (MI), Continental Chrome PM 1987 Aug-14 Description: No.87-79. Lace derives its beauty not only from its delicate, painstaking handwork, but also from the myriad designs which take shape under the skillful hands of the lacemaker. In a piece of lace, the main elements of a design generally include flower or leaf motifs, but sometimes include human figures, animals, urns, and columns. These are composed of numerous threads stitched together and often outlined by a cordonnet--a little cord of several threads whipped or buttonholed together. Ornamental devices known as modes, or fillings, may be used between the main elements of the pattern to replace the fond, or mesh netting. Designs generally followed contemporary fashions in needle point. Numerous pattern books for various types of openwork fabrics were published in the sixteenth and early seventeenth century--the first being those of M. Pagano (c.1542). Today, American lacemakers have adapted a variety of styles and techniques in their lacemaking		Title: Modern Lacemaking Ypsilant (MI), Continental Chrome PM 1987 Aug-14 Description: No.87-78. Lacemaking reached its highest artistic achievements during the Renaissance. Then, it was a mark of prosperity, and was even glorified in art by such painters as Raphael, Frans Hals and Velazquez. Female master lacemakers were in great demand by the courts of Europe, even until the eighteenth century. At that time, the English developed a successful lace machine, and by 1780, the French began using lace net machines as well. In 1809, Englishman John Heathcoat patented the first "bobbin net" machine, which John Leavers improved in 1813. Leavers machine became the basis for all lace machines used today. Although such machines can accurately copy almost every kind of lace made by had, machine-made lace has a flat, dull appearance, can ravel, and has more irregularities in patterns. Fortunately, America is still the home of many master lacemakers whose nimble hands and exquisite design has led a resurgence in this folk art

Title: The Art of Lacemaking Continental Chrome PM 1987 Aug-14 Description: First Day of Issue: August 14, 1987 First Issue Location: Ypsilanti, Michigan Skilled hands and nimble fingers are needed to produce fine lace. Traditional linen lacemaking begins with a ground mat, called the reseau, which holds the pattern, also called the toile, together. Most lace is made with linen thread, cotton, silk, silver or gold. There are two traditional types lace: bobbin and needle point. Bobbin lace is sometimes called "pillow lace," because the design is drawn on a pillow; then, the lacemaker sticks small pegs into the pillow and works small bobbins of threads around the pegs to produce the lace. As the lacework is finished, the pegs are removed. Needlepoint lacemaking uses a brides -- a mesh net or groundwork of connected threads. The lacemaker draws the design on parchment and stitches it to a linen backing. Lace is then made by filling in the pattern with buttonhole stitches. Lacemaking has been a cottage industry in Europe for centuries. And, with the settlement of the New World by various nations, individual national and regional styles and patterns were brought to America		Title: The History of Lacemaking Continental Chrome PM 1987 Aug-14 Description: First Day of Issue: August 14, 1987 First Issue Location: Ypsilant, Michigan The delicate art of lacemaking can trace its origins to late fifteenth century Italy and Flanders. Used as a decorative touch to apparel, lacemaking evolved from needlepoint work such as the Italian reticella (little net) cut work. A type of embroidery, lacemaking is not made from woven textiles, but rather from patterns worked in buttonhole stitches also known as punto in aria (stitch in the air). Lacemaking flourished in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, with several European nations developing one or more characteristic styles. Point de France, for example, was a low relief needle lace highlighted by decorative motifs balanced on a background of hexagonal mesh. In the periods of its greatest use and popularity -- as in the reign of French King Louis XIV -- lacemaking was considered a form of high art and patterns were drawn by official court painters. As the "New World' became settled, Europeans -- particularly the English and Spanish -- brought lacemaking to America

Title: Milk wagon Continental Chrome PM 1987 Sep-25 Description: Basil Smith First day of issue: September 25, 1987 First issue location: Indianapolis, Indiana Horses' hooves breaking the stillness of dawn once marked an era. It was the time of horse-drawn carriages, the milk wagon among them. Built low to the ground, with sliding side doors, the milk wagon was well-suited to its loading and unloading functions. But, driving was a bit awkward and often the milkman would lead his horse by hand. Both learned their routes quickly, as the delivery of bottled milk and fresh cream earned them many friendly customers. Sometimes the horses would receive a special treat from other early-risers and new drivers found they didn't even need a map when their steeds had served before them. Stores are told of sturdy dairy horses who refused to budge lest their drivers forget a steady customer's morning milk delivery. Clean white milk wagons were a part of life in cities and towns throughout the world for many years. And even into the late 1950's, the milkman's horse-drawn wagon was a welcome sight in the early morning mist		Title: Gowan & Marx Continental Chrome PM 1987 Oct-1 Description: John Swatsley First Day of Issue: October 1, 1987; First Issue Location: Baltimore, Maryland. Once the novelty of the railroad started to wane, businessmen began to seriously consider it as a profitable enterprise. The key to this enterprise was power. The more a train could carry, the more economical its use would be. Thus, designers focused on the design of engines which could haul huge loads, but with the weight evenly enough distributed so as not to overburden the tracks. It was quite a challenge and many of America's railroad lines suffered much wear during development and trial stages. There were successes, however. Among them was the "Gowan & Marx." Built in 1839, this engine was one of the most powerful of early locomotives. On a single trip, the "Gowan & Marx" was able to pull 101 four-wheeled train cars, weighing 423 tons. The little engine thus could haul forty times its own weight. Suddenly, it seemed railroads would be the wave of the future, offering inexpensive transit through the rugged American wilderness Unicover Corporation

Title: The Marmon Wasp Continental Chrome PM 1987 Sep-25 Description: First Day of Issue: September 25, 1987; First Issue Location: Indianapolis, Indiana. "What this country needs is a big race track to give the manufacturers a chance to test their cars and equipment in competition." So said Carl Fisher when his car had broken down for the third time in a single trip. His words set the stage for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and for the single event which made the Marmon Wasp a part of racing history. In 1909, with three other partners, Fisher formed the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Company. Two years later, the track was ready when Ray Harroun and the Marmon Wasp entered the first ever Indy 500. The spectacular 500 mile event took place on Memorial Day in 1911. Eighty thousand people lined the track, and 40 cars had qualified. The Marmon Wasp was No. 32. Harroun was ready. His strategy was to pace himself, eliminating the need for time-consuming tire changes. The plan worked as competitors fell by the wayside. The Marmon Wasp crossed the finish line with the next car a full lap behind		Title: Brother Jonathan Continental Chrome PM 1987 Oct-1 Description: John Swatsley First Day of Issue: October 1, 1987; First Issue Location: Baltimore, Maryland. The early 1830's were marked by improvements in the railroad industry. A man named John Jervis was among the innovators. Jervis was chief engineer for the Mohawk and Hudson Railroad. In 1832, he made improvements which would become standard in locomotives throughout the country. His idea was to lighten the engine by removing the rigid front axle with its single pair of wheels and substituting a front truck with two axles and four wheels. The "Experiment" was built at the West Point Foundry according to Jervis' new design. It was a success and Jervis' concept was adopted almost immediately. The engine was renamed "Brother Jonathan" and, achieving speeds of 60 miles per hour, became the fastest locomotive in the world. "Brother Jonathan" was later converted to an eight-wheel construction and served for many years along the rails of America. Jervis had thus paved the way for "Americanization" of the locomotive. The result was a period of progress for the railroad industry

Title: Best Friend of Charleston Baltimore (MD), Continental Chrome PM 1987 Oct-1 Description: No.87-94. As railroads came to be built, and horse drawn entities were still common, the steam engine fired the imagination of the nation's entrepreneurs. The Charleston & Hamburg Line had as its chief engineer Horatio Allen, who in 1829 had designed the "Stourbridge Lion"--America's first operational locomotive. The success of the imported Lion encouraged Allen to attempt an American-made version. In December of 1830, the "Best Friend of Charleston" became the first locomotive ever to pull a train of cars by steam power along American railroad tracks. One month later, the six-mile railroad began formal operation. About two hundred guests, mostly shareholders and their families, rode the train. Traveling at twenty-one miles per hour, the train was hailed by intermittent explosions from a small Army field gun specially requisitioned for the trip. Later, on the regular run, the two hundred guests were replaced by forty to fifty paying customers Unicover Corporation		Title: 100 Years of Coin Collecting Continental Chrome PM 1991 Aug-13 Description: First day of issue: August 13, 1991 First issue location: Chicago, Illinois In 1891 Dr. George F. Heath -- a Michigan physician and avid numismatist determined to foster participation in the hobby -- met with a group of similar-minded collectors in Chicago to found the American Numismatic Association (ANA). Today the ANA -- headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado -- is the largest coin, token and medal collectors' organization in the world. Boasting an unparalleled research library and the world-class money museum, the ANA sponsors educational seminars and annual conventions to serve member needs, while its publication T"The Numismatist" is one of the hobby's foremost scholarly journals. In 1991 the ANA marks its centenary, and the U.S. Postal Service tenders a salute of its own with the release of a stamp commemorating ANA's 100th anniversary. The design on this Maximum Card features a studious collector from the 1890s. Together with the stamp, the design honors the American Numismatic Association and its efforts to safeguard the hobby for collectors of the future

Title: Francis Ouimet Continental Chrome PM 1988 Jun-13 Description: First Day of Issue: June 13, 1988; First Issue Location: Brookline, Massachusetts. Francis Ouimet was one of the best amateur golfers of his time. At 20, he won the U.S. Open, the first amateur ever to do so. The game was an exciting one, as Ouimet tied with two leading English professionals. And, in the playoff, it was Ouimet who won the game. Interestingly, he never went professional, but made his living as a stockbroker. In his spare time, Ouimet gathered trophies in the U.S. Amateur Championship, the French Amateur Golf Championship, the Western Golf Association Amateur Championship and in the American-versus-England Walker Cup matches. His skill was so impressive that he was also elected to the Golf Hall of Fame and became the first American elected captain of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of Saint Andrews, Scotland. Ouimet also founded a caddie scholarship fund, which awarded some $400,000 in scholarships before his death in 1967. In addition to golfing, Francis Ouimet also enjoyed stamp collecting. Thus, it is especially appropriate that the stamp on this Maximum Card should honor Francis Ouimet		Title: The Love of Family Continental Chrome PM 1991 May-9 Description: First Day of Issue: May 9, 1991; First Issue Location: Honolulu, Hawaii. In France he is "grandpere." In Spain or Mexico he is "abullo." In Germany she is "grossmutter", while in Russia she is "babushka." In western societies they are our grandparents, and throughout the world grandparents hold revered positions in the family hierarchy, for the bond between grandparents and grandchildren is special. In decades past family life was more communal. Children grew up, married and settled in the same communities as their parents, and grandparents assumed active roles in the care of their grandchildren. However, distance often separates grandparents from their grandchildren in modern societies. The emotional bonds remain strong and loving nonetheless. Grandparents, with their own child-rearing years behind them, enjoy the vitality and eager innocence which their grandchildren embody. They take enormous pride in their grandchildren's accomplishments - large or small - and happily sport "Ask me about by grandbaby" bumper stickers on the fenders of their autos

Title: Rufous Hummingbird Continental Chrome PM 1992 Jun-15 Description: First Day of Issue: June 15, 1992 First Issue Location: Washington, DC Although packed into a pretty, pint-sized package, the Rufous Hummingbird has the heart of a pugnacious fighter. No other North American hummingbird exhibits as much aggressiveness as this rusty little visitor from the Far North. At the feeder, the Rufous Hummingbird takes on all challengers, chasing away the less-assertive Broadtailed Hummingbirds, and even the much larger songbirds with a soft spot for sugar water. And not only is the Rufous a fighter, he's a sojourner as well. Of all the hummingbirds on the continent, the Rufous is one of the most well traveled. In the spring, the tiny, fiery bird will zip north up the Pacific Coast as far as Alaska and the Yukon Territory to breed and nest. Late summer finds him heading south through the Rockies and eventually all the way to Mexico. In all, the average Rufous Hummingbird will travel 6,000 miles in a year -- a far cry from the migrations of such homebodies as the Costa's Hummingbird		Title: The Ruby Throated Hummingbird and Its Stamp Continental Chrome PM 1992 Jun-15 Description: First Day of Issue: June 15, 1992 First Issue Location: Washington DC

Title: Presorted First-Class Stamp Kansas City (MO), Continental Chrome PM 1992 Jul-21 Description: No. 92-50B. The special "USA" stamp which appears on this Postcard honors the United States of America and Old Glory, proud symbol of freedom and the American tradition. Available in denominations of 23c, this presorted first-class stamp depicts one of the most popular designs for United States postage stamps--the American flag. Popular philatelic subjects, flags are pieces of fabric which symbolize nations, political organizations, individuals or ideas. Used on ancient sailing vessels as means of identification, flags developed through the centuries into standards which reflected national unity and pride. A corresponding field of study, vexillology, evolved to accommodate this unique branch of graphic typology. Rules of etiquette regarding flag design and display vary from one nation to another, and penalties for desecration range from social disapproval to fines or incarceration. In 1942 Congress legalized a code of dignified use which governs the display and care of the U.S. flag		Title: Yorktown Lost: U.S. Wins at Midway Continental Chrome PM 1992 Aug-17 Description: First Day of Issue: August 17, 1992; First Issue Location: Indianapolis, Indiana. Commanding a colossal force of 160 warships, Adm. Isoruku Yamamoto was out to destroy the U.S. Pacific Fleet. With the bulk of the Japanese fleet at his disposal and depending on complete tactical surprise, Yamamoto was confident of attaining his goals. The element of surprise, however, would lie with the Americans. U.S. Intelligence had broken the main Japanese code and knew of Japan's intended attack on Midway. Yamamoto would find that, unlike Pearl Harbor, the U.S. Navy was waiting for him, ready and able. Commanded by Adm. Charles W. Nimitz, the American force was positioned some 350 miles northeast of Midway and included the carriers, Hornet, Enterprise and Yorktown. On June 4, wave after wave of U.S. carrier-launched planes discharged their deadly arsenal upon the Japanese ships, often catching enemy planes, fueled and armed, on the decks. With his carriers, the Kaga, Akagi, Soryu and Hiryu at the bottom of the ocean, a defeated Yamamoto ran for home. Although the Yorktown was lost, the American victory was complete

Title: Millions of Women Join the War Effort Continental Chrome PM 1992 Aug-17 Description: First Day of Issue: August 17, 1992 First Issue Location: Indianapolis, Indiana With the nation's sudden entry into the war, women were determined to contribute to the war effort. For many, that contribution included a startling transformation from "Susie Homemaker" to "G.I. Joan." In May of 1942, approximately 13,000 women answered a nation-wide recruitment call, and more than 700 women comprised the first group of volunteers to train at Fort Des Moines, Iowa, for the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps, later the Women's Army Corps (WAC). Like their male counterparts, the women in basic training drilled, ran obstacle courses, pulled KP and received an endless assortment of painful inoculations. Working as nurses, mechanics, cargo pilots and aerial surveyors, they freed able-bodied men for front-line service overseas. But many American women served Uncle Sam just as fervently without donning a uniform. They entered the work force en masse, laboring primarily in war plants to keep the military machines rolling. By 1943, women made up more than 30 percent of the work force		Title: Marines Land on Guadalcanal Continental Chrome PM 1992 Aug-17 Description: First Day of Issue: August 17, 1992 First Issue Location: Indianapolis, Indiana Taking the offensive in the Pacific theater for the first time, Americans paid dearly during the bitterly contested campaigns of Guadalcanal. In July of 1942, the Japanese began constructing an airfield on Guadalcanal which would solidify their control of the Solomon Islands and provide a clear path to Australia. Mindful of these possibilities, American forces invaded the island on Aug. 7 and within a few hours captured the air base and renamed it Henderson Field. Controlling it and the surrounding island would be another matter, as the Battle of Savo Island, two days later, proved. Patrolling the area off Savo Island on the morning of Aug. 9, two U.S. cruiser groups came under attack from what was deemed an inferior Japanese force. In one hour, the Japanese sunk four heavy cruisers, one destroyer and killed 1,270 men. Back on Guadalcanal the marines began to fan out, fighting through the hot, malaria-infested jungle. Six months later, the Americans could claim victory

Title: Allies land in North Africa Continental Chrome PM 1992 Aug-17 Description: First day of issue: August 17, 1992 First issue location: Indianapolis, Indiana Operation Torch, the code name for the Allied invasion of North Africa, initiated the bitter struggle for control of the African continent. The Torch invasion commenced on Nov. 8, when three separate forces of American and British troops landed on the beaches of Africa. If all went according to plan, the invasion would accomplish several Allied objectives, including: trap German Gen. Erwin Rommell and his desert troops between invading forces of British and American troops; allow Allies to tighten the blockade of Mediterranean and South Atlantic sea routes; and provide a base of operation for the push into southern Europe. Of immediate consequence was the surrender of Vichy FRench forces fighting in Africa. The their capitulation gave Hitler an excuse to totally occupy France. German troops marched through southern France, hoping to capture the formidable French fleet at Toulon. But the French, refusing British pleas to join forces with the Allies, scuttled 73 ships in Toulon Harbor on November 27		Title: B-25s take off on road to Tokyo Continental Chrome PM 1992 Aug-17 Description: First Day of Issue: August 17, 1992 First Issue Location: Indianapolis, Indiana One of the boldest, most spectacular aerial operations in military history commenced on April 18, 1942, when 16 B-25s rumbled off the pitching decks of the USS Hornet and proceeded toward their target - Tokyo. Dodging furious anti-aircraft fire, they dropped their loads on several enemy military installations and sped away, hoping to reach the Chinese mainland before their fuel ran out. Few aircraft made it. Of the 82 volunteer crewmen, 70 made it back to America. The brainchild of Lt. Col. James Doolittle, mission commander, this bombing raid struck at the very heart of Japanese society. Shocked and staggared by this attack on their supposedly invincible empire, and finding themselves without the benefit of air-raid shelters, the people of Tokyo scattered and ran mindlessly through the city's streets in a state of panic. In the aftermath, Japanese officials scurried to the Emperor's palace to apologize for the "negligence" that had allowed this attack on their homeland. The officer charged with Tokyo's air-defense committed suicide

Title: Roosevelt Praises U.S. Rationing Effort Continental Chrome PM 1992 Aug-17 Description: Food and Other Commodities Rationed First Day of Issue: August 17, 1992 First Issue Location: Indianapolis, Indiana On the home front, Americans fought the enemies of extravagance and waste, using tighter belts, thrift and ration coupons as their weapons. The federal government began the rationing system to ensure fair division of essential items and to keep inflation from skyrocketing. Sugar was the first item to be rationed, and in May of 1942 Americans received their first supply of ration coupons based on their testimonies recorded in sworn depositions -- of how much sugar they had at home. Other items were speedily added to the list of rationed goods: coffee, meat, gasoline and canned goods. Precious ration books with coupons -- red for butter, fats and meat, and blue for canned goods -- brought Americans an average of 10 ounces of sugar per week, 28 ounces of meat per week, a pound of coffee every 25 days, and three to five gallons of gasoline per week. Some citizens stealthily patronized "Mr. Black's" under-the-counter market, but most patriotic Americans found ways to "Use it up/Wear it out/Make it do/Or do without."		Title: U.S. Wins Battle of Coral Sea Continental Chrome PM 1992 Aug-17 Description: First Day of Issue: August 17, 1992 First Issue Location: Indianapolis, Indiana In May of 1942, a massive Japanese invasion fleet, assisted by carriers Shokaku and Zuikaku and 125 naval aircraft, sailed for New Guinea's Port Moresby. Charged with halting this Japanese advance, Rear Adm. Frank Jack Fletcher aimed his contingent of American and Australian ships toward the Coral Sea and the Japanese. Two American flattops, the Lexington and the Yorktown, and 141 aircraft would play a decisive role in the first naval battle where neither opponent came within sight of one another. After sparring for five days like heavyweights in the early going of a fight, the two evenly matched foes squared off for the final round. On May 8, the battle was decided and losses on both sides were significant. The Lexington, ravaged by Japanese bombs and torpedoes, was abandoned and scuttled. The Japanese carrier Shokaku took three direct hits and, unable to launch its planes, retreated. When the smoke cleared, the Japanese forces were limping home, their southward trek stopped dead in the water

Title: Corregidor Falls to Japanese Continental Chrome PM 1992 Aug-17 Description: First Day of Issue: August 17, 1992 First Issue Location: Indianapolis, Indiana In December of 1941, Japan invaded the Philippines. In January of 1942 Gen. Douglas MacArthur, with American and Filipino soldiers and civilians, fell back to the Bataan peninsula to make a defensive stand. In the ensuing months, the Japanese subjected the occupants of Bataan to relentless offensives. In March, MacArthur -- under orders from his president -- withdrew to Australia. His departure was a crippling blow to his troops. On April 8, Lt. Gen. Jonathan Wainwright and approximately 15,000 soldiers and civilians withdrew to the island of Corregidor, a natural fortress containing an intricate system of tunnels and emplacements. The remaining garrison on Bataan surrendered the following day. For the next several weeks, Wainwright struggled to keep Corregidor, vital gateway to Manila Bay, in Allied hands. But by May 5, the defenders were engaging the enemy in combat less than a mile from the entrance to the island's most protected underground passage. On May 6, Wainwright surrendered his garrison		Title: Codebreaking; 'The Determining Factor in the Conduct of the War' Continental Chrome PM 1992 Aug-17 Description: Allies Decipher Enemy Secret Codes. First Day of Issue: August 17, 1992. First Issue Location: Indianapolis, Indiana

Title: Japan Invades Aleutian Islands Continental Chrome PM 1992 Aug-17 Description: First Day of Issue: August 17, 1992; First Issue Location: Indianapolis, Indiana. In June of 1942, as a diversionary move for their Midway operation, the Japanese invaded the islands of Attu and Kiska in the Aleutian archipelago. The islands were of little strategic significance, however, as their bitterly cold climate and rock landscape rendered air operations dubious at best. Not until May of 1943 did American forces make a move to recapture the islands. The first assault was aimed at the snow-covered mountains of Attu, and the battles there ignited the biggest banzai charge of war. Hundreds of frustrated Japanese made a desperate suicide charge at American lines. Over 2,300 Japanese were killed and 550 Americans died. By June 3, most the Japanese garrison on Attu was annihilated. With Attu captured, the Allies turned their military might 170 miles east toward Kiska and the main Japanese base. On Aug. 15, 1943, American and Canadian troops invaded the island, but a combination of daring and Aleutian fog allowed the Japanese to evacuate their personnel and escape unharmed. The Aleutians, however, were free		Title: Dorothy Parker Continental Chrome PM 1992 Aug-22 Description: Lois Hatcher First day of issue: August 22, 1992 First issue location: West End, New Jersey "Wit has truth in it; wisecracking is simply calisthenics with words." Dorothy Pasrker's clever distinction appeared in the Paris Review during the summer of 1956. And as one of America's foremost short-story writers and critics, Parker was an expert on wit and humor. Born and raised in New York City, Dorothy Parker went to work for the magazine Vanity Fair. With humorist Robert Benchley and critic and playwright Robert Sherwood, Parker became the core of the illustrious Algonquin Round Table, a casual luncheon klatch which met to discuss the literature of the day. In 1926 she published her first book of poetry and a year later she began to review books in The New Yorker as the "Constant Reader." Parker's story "The Big Blonde" won the O. Henry Award for best short story of the year in 1929. After working in Hollywood as a screen writer, Parker returned to New York to review books and collaborate on plays. She died in 1967, but her stylish and elegant prose has remained in intact for posterity to read and relish

Title: Theodore von Karman Continental Chrome PM 1992 Aug-31 Description: First Day of Issue: August 31, 1992; First Issue Location: Washington, D.C. Born in Hungary in 1881, Theodore von Karman was the son of noted Hungarian educator Maurice von Karman. At an early age, Theodore's mathematical genius was recognized. Never an ivory-tower intellectual, von Karman kindled an interest in aeronautics when he and a friend witnessed an early flight of Henri Farman, a French aviation pioneer. By 1912, von Karman was director of the Aeronautical Institute of Aachen in Germany. He remained there until 1930, when he was invited to become director of the Guggenheim Aeronautical Laboratory at the California Institute of Technology. He became a citizen in 1936. In the ensuing years, he pioneered rocket research, becoming co-founder of the present NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and participating in the development of the spontaneously-ignited liquid propellants used in the Appollo missions 25 years later. During his lifetime, many laboratories were named after von Karman, and in 1970 - seven years after his death - a crater on the Moon was given his name as well		Title: One Nation Under God Continental Chrome PM 1992 Sep-8 Description: Ed Little Pledge of Allegiance. First Day of Issue: September 8, 1992. First Issue Location: Rome, New York

Title: Wulfenite Continental Chrome PM 1992 Sep-17 Description: First Day of Issue: September 17, 1992 First Issue Location: Washington, D.C. The importance of minerals extends well beyond their usefulness as sources of metals. Minerals such as garnet and corunclum are used as abrasives in modern industries throughout the world. Because of its high specific gravity and its ability to make "heavy mud," barite is used extensively by oil companies when drilling wells. Minerals have aesthetic value as well and are one of nature's most exquisite art forms. Diamonds, rubies, emeralds and sapphires are but a few examples of nature's elegant minerals. Although not as well known, wulfenite is one of the most beautiful minerals in the world. Named in honor of Austrian mineralogist Franz Xaver von Wulfen, this stunning mineral has a resinous luster and occurs in various hues of yellow, orange, red and green. The red crystals from the Red Cloud Mine in Yuma County, Arizona are the most prized in the world. Wulfenite occurs in oxidized zones of lead and molybdenum deposits. Very brittle and heavy, it has a hardness of about 3, and a specific gravity ranging from 6.7 to 7.0		Title: Copper Continental Chrome PM 1992 Sep-17 Description: First Day of Issue: September 17, 1992 First Issue Location: Washington, DC Although copper is found adhered to other minerals such as malachite, bornite and cuprite, it is the only metal that commonly occurs in a free metallic state -- a native form. Copper in this pure form was first used by Neolithic man as a substitute for stone. Copper's malleability allows it to easily be shaped into wire and, with the exception of silver, it conducts electricity and heat better than any other metal. Hence, the majority of copper produced in the world is used for electrical purposes. The greatest deposit of copper ore in the United States is found in northern Michigan. Here, along Lake Superior's Keeweenaw Peninsula, a four-mile-wide belt of native copper extends for 100 miles. This abundant metal is also found in the body chemistry of mollusks, arthropods and humans. In blue-blooded mollusks and crustaceans, it plays the vital rold of transporting oxygen in the hemocyanin. Copper appears as a trace element in humans and acts as a catalyst in the formation of hemoglobin

Title: The Azurite Mineral and Its Stamp Continental Chrome PM 1992 Sep-17 Description: Howard Koslow Azurite Stamp First Day of Issue: September 17, 1992 First Issue Location: Washington DC		Title: Bengal Tiger Continental Chrome PM 1992 Oct-1 Description: First Day of Issue: October 1, 1992 First Issue Location: New Orleans, Louisiana Patience, cunning, and remarkable physical capabilities make the tiger one of the most efficient and deadly predators in the world. Exaggerated hind limbs allow it to leap great distances. Heavily muscled forelimbs and shoulders, coupled with forepaws equipped with long razor-sharp claws, enable the tiger to grab and bring down prey as large as a young rhino. The tiger has powerful jaws, and potentially fatal bites are quickly delivered by long, somewhat flattened canines. A patient and solitary hunter, the tiger stalks is prey while concealed in available cover. Crouching, the tiger methodically moves one paw in front of the other as it gradually moves closer to its target. Pausing frequently to raise its head above the foliage and assess its position, the tiger will swing its tail slowly back and forth. Having closed the distance, the tiger gathers itself up and mounts a furious charge - usually from behind or to the side - most often reaching its prey within a few bounds and knocking it from its feet

Title: Giraffe Continental Chrome PM 1992 Oct-1 Description: Chuck Ripper First Day of Issue: October 1, 1992 First Issue Location: New Orleans, Louisiana Buzzards soar high above the savannah, searching for carrion. Seeking prey, a cheetah scans the horizon. Lions nap in the afternoon sun, while Cape buffalo seek the coolness of area water holes. Many animals live in Africa, but none more unique than the giraffe. Often called "the animal built by committee," the giraffe looks as if it was put together from spare parts. As ungainly as it may appear, the giraffe is nevertheless one of the most widespread, successful herbivores of the African plains. Its extremely long neck and forelegs allow the giraffe to access foliage beyond the reach of other mammals. It has a tongue that can extend 18 inches to gather food, and plate-sized hooves which it uses as weapons to defend its young. A kick from the front feet of a giraffe can quickly kill a lion. While its senses of hearing and smell are highly developed, the giraffe's most acute sense is sight		Title: Giant Panda Continental Chrome PM 1992 Oct-1 Description: First Day of Issue: October 1, 1992; First Issue Location: New Orleans, Louisiana. Giant Pandas have been sources of scientific curiosity and wonder for nearly a century. Some authorities group Giant Pandas with bears; others advocate that Pandas belong to the raccoon clan. While many others maintain that Giant Pandas have their own separate family, all agree that these rare and cuddly creatures have a unique place in the hearts of animal-lovers the world over. Before the late 1860s, Europeans never knew of such a creature. But in 1869, a Jesuit missionary to the Orient discovered some panda pelts, although more than 40 years passed before a European actually observed the animal in the wild. In 1972, America received a remarkable gift from the People's Republic of China - a pair of Giant Pandas named Ling-Ling and Hsing Hsing. At the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., they captured the hearts of a nation and broadened its citizens' appreciation of wild animals. Once roaming over large portions of China and Burma, the Giant Panda is now an endangered species. Fewer than 1,000 remain outside captivity

Title: Greater Flamingos Continental Chrome PM 1992 Oct-1 Description: Chuck Ripper First Day of Issue: October 1, 1992 First Issue Location: New Orleans, Louisiana Flamingos are strikingly beautiful birds that feed on small aquatic animals. Their long legs and necks allow them to wade and feed in relatively deep water. They have filter-like beaks which enable them to sift their food from salt lakes and brackish lagoons. Flamingos are long-lived birds -- some zoo specimens have lived more than 30 years -- that develop slowly. They are not fully grown until their second year, and do not breed until their sixth. Breeding grounds are located in remote areas new water. There, flamingos gather in huge colonies numbering in the hundreds of thousands. These exotic birds make a spectacular sight during the early breeding season. They stand together in loose groups and perform ritualized stretching and preening movements in sequence. This ceremony helps to separate the individual birds ready for reproduction from the group at large		Title: King Penguin New Orleans (LA), Continental Chrome PM 1992 Oct-1 Description: No.92-123. The King Penguin is a flightless bird inhabiting the far reaches of the Southern Hemisphere. While the family is associated with Antarctica, only two species--the Adelie and the Emperor--are common to or reach this frigid continent. The other species of penguins can be found along the cool southern coasts of Africa, New Zealand, Australia and South America. Despite its clumsy gait and somewhat comical appearance, the King Penguin is ideally adapted to life in the subarctic. During the process of evolution, its wings have developed into modified flippers which propel the bird through the water. Its feathers are comprised of fluffy filaments which make them virtually water-proof, and a thick layer of blubber provides additional insulation. The King Penguin is sustained on a diet of fish, crustaceans and squid, and remains at sea for weeks at a time to feed. Basically defenseless, this bird is also the favorite fare of marine carnivores such as the Orca and Leopard Seal

Title: Juan rodriguez Cabrillo Postage Stamp Continental Chrome PM 1992 Sep-28 Description: Dennis Lyall First Day of Issue: September 28, 1992 First Issue Location: San Diego, CA		Title: Eagle and Shield self-adhesive Stamp Continental Chrome PM 1992 Sep-25 Description: First Day of Issue: September 25, 1992 First Issue Location: Dayton, Ohio In an effort to create a more convenient product, the United States Postal Service developed the self-adhesive stamps that appear on this Postcard. Because three different manufacturers are producing the stamp, its denomination and "USA" appear in three colors: red, printed by the gravure process: green, also printed by the gravure process; and brown, printed by the offset/intaglio process. These tamps depict a rendition of America's Great Seal. In 1776 a committee consisting of Benjamin Franklin, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson was directed by the Continental Congress "to bring in a device for a seal of the United States of America." Benjamin Franklin thought the national bird should be the wild turkey but, after much debate, the American bald eagle became our national symbol. The Great Seal of the United States has remained unchanged since its inception. It depicts an American bald eagle clutching the arrows of war in one talon and an olive branch of peace in the other

Title: Presorted First-class stamp Continental Chrome PM 1992 Oct-9 Description: First day of issue: October 9, 1992 First issue location: Kansas City, Missouri The special "USA" stamp which appears on this first day of issue postcard honors the United States of America and Old Glory, proud symbol of freedom and the American tradition. Available int he denomination of 23 cents, this presorted first-class stamp - printed using the process of intaglio - depicts one of the most popular designs for United States postage stamps - the American flag. Popular philatelic subjects, flags are pieces of fabric which symbolize nations, political organizations, individuals or ideas. Used on ancient sailing vessels as means of identification, flags developed through the centuries into standards which reflected national unity and pride. A corresponding field of study, vexillogy, evolved to accommodate this unique branch of graphic typology. Rules of etiquette regarding flag design and display vary from one nation to another, and penalties for desecration range from social disapproval to fines or incarceration. In 1942 Congress legalized a code of dignified use which governs the display and care of the U.S. flag		Title: Christmas Continental Chrome PM 1992 Oct-22 Description: First day if issue: October 22, 1992 First issue location: Kansas City, Missouri Christmas is a time for traditions. Stuffed stockings are hung above warm fires and mistletoe dangles in strategic locations. No tradition, however, is more deeply entrenched in the American psyche than the Christmas tree. Whether it be fire, spruce or ponderosa pine, the Christmas tree is the centerpiece of the celebration. The custom reportedly began in Germany during the 8th Century. It spread through Europe and was introduced to America by German settlers during the American Revolution. In 1856, Franklin Pierce decorated a Christmas tree at the White House, and by World War I, the tradition had spread throughout the United States. Community trees appeared at Madison Square Park in New Yor5k, on the commons in Boston, and on Mt. Wilson in Pasadena. A mile-long vista of giant deodar cedars was decorated at Altadena, California in the 1920s and became known as "Christmas Tree Lane." Today the tradition continues. Homes throughout America are adorned with brightly-lit elegantly-decorated trees each and every Christmas

Title: Christmas Continental Chrome PM 1992 Oct-22 Description: Chris Calle First day of issue: October 22, 1992 First issue location: Kansas City, Missouri Nothing quite compares to the aroma of a mother's kitchen on Christmas morning. The scents of roasting turkey, baking pies and plum pudding invigorate one's appetite. Feasting on special occasions is an age-old custom. After a successful hunt, primitive man gorged himself on meant... and more meat. With the advent of agriculture, the harvest marked a time of plenty, and people ate heartily when the crops were in. Perhaps the most fabled meal in humankind's history was served in England on Christmas Day in 1770, at Sir Henry Grey's. It consisted of one pie measuring 9 feet in circumference and weighing twelve stone - 168 pounds. Inside, backed to perfection, were four geese, four wild ducks, two woodcocks, two turkeys, four partridges, seven blackbirds, six pigeons, two rabbits, two cow's tongues, two bushels of flour, 20 pounds of butter, and various other items. This meal spawned the English colloquialism: "The Devil himself dare not appear in Cornwall during Christmas for fear of being baked in a pie."		Title: Christmas Greetings from Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City (MO), Continental Chrome PM 1992 Oct-22 Description: Christmas First Day of Issue: October 22, 1992 First Issue Location: Kansas City, Missouri The exchange of Christmas gifts is a wonderful tradition of the holiday season. In many western countries, mythological figures visit homes on moonlit nights during the yuletide season and leave presents for each slumbering inhabitant. In the United States, this figure is Santa Claus, a character originally based on a bishop of the early Christian church. Made bishop while a boy, the kindly Nicholas often strolled his village streets at night and left presents for children on their doorsteps. For many centuries, the anniversary of his death was celebrated throughout Europe on December 6 with feasting and merrymaking. Over the next several centuries, this figure appeared in many other incarnations: Europe's Christkindli or the Christ Child, England's Father Christmas and America's Santa Claus. Irrepressibly jolly and unfailingly punctual, Santa is indeed the man of the Christmas hour, for late each Christmas Eve he visits every home to bring its children the toys their hearts desire. First Day of Issue Postcard Collection 1992 Fleetwood Cheyenne, WY 82008-001 Original painting for the First Day of Issue Postcard by Chris Calle

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