1849 France's first stamps, the 20c and 1f values of the Ceres series, are issued.1850 New South Wales' first stamp, the 2d. value of the 'Sydney Views' series, is placed on sale.1851 The world's first newspaper stamps are issued by Austria.1852 The Pontifical States of central Italy issue their first stamps.",
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JANUARY 2
1891 New Zealand's Life Insurance Department issues its own stamps. It is the only government department allowed to do this.1893 The U.S. Columbian Exposition series is issued. Collectors are outraged to find that the set costs more than $16.1895 The 'Eagle and Thunderbolts' experimental machine cancel is applied to fewer than 10,000 covers at Boston between 2:00 and 5:00 p.m.1897 The Chinese Government Post issues its first stamps, overprints of the 1888 'Small Dragons' and the 1894 'Dowager Empress' series.1897 The 'King's Head' stamps of South Africa, overprinted Zuid-West Afrika for use in South West Africa, are placed on sale.",
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JANUARY 3
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JANUARY 4
1838 Nathaniel Wordsell of the U.K. patents a crane for exchanging mail between moving railway cars.1872 Prince Edward Island issues its first stamps denominated in decimal coinage.1902 New Zealand overprints its stamps for use in Niue, one of its Cook Islands dependencies.2006 The 'Ice House cover,' only known cover bearing a U.S. 1869 90¢ Lincoln [#122], was recovered at a stamp store in Chicago more than 38 years after it was stolen in Indianapolis.",
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JANUARY 5
1899 The Port Hood, Nova Scotia post office uses provisional overprints; within days the unauthorized issue will be confiscated by postal inspectors from Halifax.",
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JANUARY 6
1818 The General Post Office is opened in Sackville (now O'Connell) Street, Dublin.1841 Registered mail service costing one shilling is introduced in Britain.1876 Earliest known use of the Leavitt hand-operating canceling machine, at the Boston MA post office.1929 Canada's most famoU.S. stamp, a 50¢ blue depicting the schooner Bluenose [#158], is issued.",
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JANUARY 7
1870 Addison Townsend is born at Holly Springs MS. He became a noted collector of U.S. Officials, which he salvaged as a boy from departmental trash cans in Washington DC.",
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JANUARY 8
1834 Thomas Waghorn's overland mail route between the Mediterranean and Red Seas begins operation. Only 121 covers carried by him are still extant, all bearing the inscription 'Care of Mr. Waghorn'.1929 Canada releases a 50¢ commemorative featuring the Nova Scotian schooner Bluenose, now regarded as one of the world's most beautiful stamps.",
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JANUARY 9
2004 The last Travelling Post Office (TPO) mail train in Britain is retired.",
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JANUARY 10
1840 The British Post Office abolishes all free franking privileges, including Queen Victoria's.1840 Penny postage is introduced in Great Britain.1887 The first number of the American Philatelist is published at Altoona PA.",
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JANUARY 11
1784 Pierre Durand blazes a postal route between Quebec and Halifax. It will not become a regular route until 1787.1862 The Argentine Republic issues its first stamps.2006 South Korea withdraws its commemorative stamp celebrating Seoul University's extraction of stem cells from a cloned human embryo. An inquest has proved that the results of the experiment were faked.",
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JANUARY 12
1853 Queen Isabella II of Spain orders stamps printed for use in the Philippines colony.1940 F. J. Melville, noted English philatelist and founder of the National Philatelic Society, dies at the age of 57.",
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JANUARY 13
1913 Pilot Harry M. Jones leaves Boston bound for New York on the first air parcel post flight in the U.S. He is carrying a postpaid shipment of Boston baked beans, a gift from the governor of Massachusetts to his counterpart in New York.",
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JANUARY 14
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JANUARY 15
1902 Henry Clay Payne is appointed U.S. Postmaster General. He was previously postmaster of Milwaukee WI.",
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JANUARY 16
1921 The kingdom of Yugoslavia issues its first stamps, a set of two definitives picturing Prince Alexander and King Alexander I.",
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JANUARY 17
1833 Home delivery of mail is inaugurated in St. Petersburg, Russia.",
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JANUARY 18
1876 The General Postal Union admits British India as a member.",
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JANUARY 19
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JANUARY 20
1798 Queen Maria of Portugal issues a decree that specifies how mail is to be carried between Portugal and its colonies.1912 Glenn L. Martin, founder of the Martin Aircraft Co., flies mail about two mi.",
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JANUARY 21
1865 The Santa Fe Stage Co. of Kansas City MO begins weekly mail service between those two cities.",
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JANUARY 22
1789 The U.S. Postmaster General reports receipts of about $25,000 in 1788.1922 The last stamp in the Third Bureau Issue, also known as the Washington and Franklins, is issued. It is #497, an orange-yellow Franklin coil.",
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JANUARY 23
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JANUARY 24
1911 The 'Orangeburg Coil,' a single coil of 3¢ deep violet Washingtons perf 12 instead of 8½, is sold to the pharmaceutical firm Bell & Co. of Orangeburg NY.",
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JANUARY 25
1907 Barbados issues its first semipostals. The surtax is in aid of earthquake victims in Jamaica.",
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JANUARY 26
1869 In the Vienna New Free Press, Prof. Emmanuel Herrmann suggests that Austria issue postal cards.",
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JANUARY 27
1934 The Dutch postal service issues stamps for use only on official mail from the International Court of justice at The Hague. They are denominated in Dutch guilders.",
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JANUARY 28
1854 Henry Archer's perforating machine is used to perforate Britain's Penny Red.1914 Arthur Pitney's postage meter and permit printing machine is placed on trial by businesses in Chicago, IL. After two previous trials, in 1903 and 1912, the device failed to win a Post Office license.",
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JANUARY 29
1912 Liechtenstein issues its first three stamps, denominated at 5, 10, and 25 hellers. Although the series pictures Liechtenstein's Johann II, Austria's permission was necessary f",
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JANUARY 30
1921 The kingdom of Yugoslavia issues its first semipostals, a set of four to benefit the war victims relief fund.",
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JANUARY 31
1774 The British Crown dismisses Benjamin Franklin as deputy postmaster general for North America.1873 The Senate votes to abolish the Congressional free franking privilege. It will be restored in 1891.1914 The shortlived Republic of Karelia, in rebellion against the U.S.S.R., issues a set of 15 stamps.",
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FEBRUARY 1
1842 The New York City Despatch Post issues a 3¢ adhesive stamp for use on the letters it carries.1855 The London and Bristol Special Mail, first train designed exclusively for postal duty, is placed in service. It consists of a locomotive, two sorting cars, and a storage car.1869 Canada introduces registered mail service.1935 The Dominican Republic issues insured letter stamps. They are the Merino birth centenary issue of 1933 overprinted Prima Valores Declarados",
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FEBRUARY 2
1897 All Chinese local and private posts are shut down or absorbed into the new Imperial Postal Service.1924 Carl Ben Eielson, part owner and sole pilot of the Farthest North Aviation Company, secures a $2-per-mile contract to carry airmail into the Alaskan interior.1925 The Air Mail Act of 1925, also called the Kelly Act, passes Congress. It authorized the awarding of government mail contracts to private carriers through a bidding process.",
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FEBRUARY 3
1863 The Brunswick Star cancellation is first used at the Edinburgh, Scotland post office.1893 The streetcar mail system in St. Louis MO begins using its own cancellation: 'Street R.P.O. No. 1'.",
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FEBRUARY 4
1879 The American Bank Note Co. acquires the Continental Bank Note Co. -- along with their employees, equipment, and contract for the printing of U.S. stamps.",
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FEBRUARY 5
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FEBRUARY 6
1857 The first perforated U.S. stamp is issued.",
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FEBRUARY 7
1902 The U.S. Post Office places an order with the Bureau of Engraving and Printing for what will become the series of 1902, also known as the 'Second Bureau Issue.'",
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FEBRUARY 8
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FEBRUARY 9
1933 The first number of Van Dahl's Western Stamp Collector is published in Albany OR.",
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FEBRUARY 10
1918 The British Egyptian Expeditionary Force issued stamps inscribed E.E.F. for use in Palestine and other territories occupied by Britain in World War I.",
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FEBRUARY 11
1863 The first stamp of a unified Italy, inscribed 'Franco bollo Italiano' and bearing the embossed head of King Victor Emmanuel II, is issued.",
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FEBRUARY 12
1861 Horatio King, a newspaper publisher from Maine, is appointed Postmaster General of the U.S.1918 Finland is admitted to the Universal Postal Union, just two months after declaring independence from Bolshevist Russia.",
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FEBRUARY 13
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FEBRUARY 14
1835 Austria grants the first patent for a pneumatic mail system.1872 The U.S. post offices introduces pouches sealed with a green label for transporting registered mail.1907 The British Solomon Islands Protectorate releases its first stamps, the 'Large Canoes' designed by Resident Commissioner Charles Woodford.",
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FEBRUARY 15
1864 Samuel Allan Taylor, later to achive notoriety as a forger, publishes the first number of his Stamp Collector's Record.",
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FEBRUARY 16
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FEBRUARY 17
1913 Noted stamp dealer Edward Stanley Gibbons, founder of Stanley Gibbons Ltd., dies at home in Kensington, London. He had begun selling stamps at age 15 from a desk in his father's pharmacy.",
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FEBRUARY 18
1908 The first U.S. coil stamps, a 1¢ Franklin and a 2¢ Washington, are placed on sale.1911 French pilot Henri Pequet flew a Sommer biplane with 6500 pieces of mail from Allahabad to Naini, India. It is the world's first official airmail flight.",
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FEBRUARY 19
1902 Great Britain overprints its Edward VII definitives for use by members of the Royal Household. The resulting stamps are classified as Officials.",
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FEBRUARY 20
1792 Congress establishes the United States Post Office Department.1962 Project Mercury, the United States' first manned spaceflight, returns to Earth. A 4¢ commemorative [#1193] is placed on sale at 3:30 p.m. and sells out within 24 hours. The stamp was prepared and distributed to post offices in total secrecy--in case the mission failed.",
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FEBRUARY 21
1861 The rebel states of the Confederacy establishes a post office department.",
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FEBRUARY 22
1838 Samuel Allan Taylor, one of philately's most notorious forgers, is born in Scotland.1921 The first night airmail is flown between Nebraska and Illinois.",
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FEBRUARY 23
1884 The French Caribbean colony of Guadeloupe receives its first stamps, French issues overprinted G.P.E.",
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FEBRUARY 24
1947 Alfred F. Lichtenstein, a founder of the Collectors Club of New York and commissioner of the international show CIPEX, dies less than three months before the show opens.",
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FEBRUARY 25
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FEBRUARY 26
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FEBRUARY 27
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FEBRUARY 28
1855 A log cabin belonging to William Ross is designated the first post office at Red River Settlement (modern-day Winnipeg). The Ross House is a museum today.1925 Special handling service is approved in the U.S., allowing postal patrons to pay an extra fee to have their parcel post items receive first-class service.1921 The French mandate of Laodicea, on the Syrian peninsula, begins to use regular Syrian stamps. previously it used overprinted stamps of Syria, also a French .",
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MARCH 1
1933 Legendary philatelist Arthur Hind dies at Miami, FL, aged 77.",
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MARCH 2
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MARCH 3
1845 Congress fixes the postage rate at 5¢ for distances under 300 miles.1919 William Boeing and Eddie Hubbard co-pilot the first international airmail flight in North America, from Vancouver BC to Seattle WA.",
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MARCH 4
1933 Franklin D. Roosevelt, APS member #11590, is sworn in as president of the U.S.",
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MARCH 5
1982 A fire at the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing destroys two Huck-Cottrell printing presses.",
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MARCH 6
1861 John Reagan of Texas becomes postmaster general of the Confederate States of America. His department manages to turn a profit, a wartime feat that impressed U.S. officials. After the Civil War ended, the U.S. Post Office offered him a job!",
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MARCH 7
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MARCH 8
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MARCH 9
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MARCH 10
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MARCH 11
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MARCH 12
1888 The 'Great Blizzard of '88' paralyzes the entire U.S. eastern seaboard north of the Chesapeake. A special 'Blizzard Mail' local post operates between Bayonne NJ and New York City via the North River steamer Chancellor. About 500 letters will be posted this way over four days, many of them containing news dispatches for the New York newspapers. ",
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MARCH 13
1997 The U.S. Post Office issues its first triangular stamps for the Pacific '97 international stamp show.",
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MARCH 14
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MARCH 15
1962 The U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing retires the last of its Stickney rotary presses, developed in 1914.",
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MARCH 16
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MARCH 17
The Federation of Central New York Philatelic Societies is founded on this day in 1940. The Syracuse Stamp Club is a charter member.1792 The U.S. and Canada negotiate their first postal convention. The U.S. agrees to route mail between Canada and Great Britain through the post offices at Burlington VT and New York City.",
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MARCH 18
1846 Probable date that the unique cover bearing the red-on-buff Lockport NY postmaster's provisional was mailed.",
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MARCH 19
1869 The first values in the 1869 pictorial series are released. (Wood, Post Dates, says it was March 27.) They are a flop with the public.",
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MARCH 20
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MARCH 21
1893 An 8¢ U.S. stamp depicting General William T. Sherman [#225] is released to fulfill the fee for registered mail.",
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MARCH 22
1981 The first-class 1 oz. letter rate is raised to 18¢. The new rate will last only seven months before being raised to 20¢.",
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MARCH 23
1846 or '47 One of the three known covers bearing the Millbury MA postmaster's provisional was cancelled on this date.",
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MARCH 24
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MARCH 25
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MARCH 26
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MARCH 27
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MARCH 28
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MARCH 29
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MARCH 30
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MARCH 31
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APRIL 1
1680 William Dockwra's 'penny post' service begins in the cities of London and Westminster.1971 Ottawa is the first Canadian city to be assigned postal codes; Mantoba Province will be next. Postal workers, concerned that greater automation will be mean layoffs, encourage postal patrons to boycott the new codes.",
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APRIL 2
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APRIL 3
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APRIL 4
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APRIL 5
1851 The Canadian post office is officially separated from the British post office. James Morris is the first postmaster general.",
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APRIL 6
Philatelist Hind: I crave admittance [to Heaven]. St. Peter: Have you visited the poor, visited the sick, relieved distress? Philatelist Hind: No, I really hadn't time, but I have here the 1d. British Guiana, for which I paid over £7,000. Would you like to see it? St. Peter: Such tiny fragments of paper will readily burn in Hell. -- An anti-philatelic tirade by Rev. E. Bruce Cornford of Portsmouth, England, as quoted in Time magazine, 9/2/1929.1922 Arthur Hind of Utica NY pays $37,500 for the British Guiana 1¢ magenta, outbidding England's King George V.",
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APRIL 7
1851 The unique New Carlisle, Gaspé postmaster's provisional stamped envelope was cancelled on this date.",
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APRIL 8
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APRIL 9
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APRIL 10
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APRIL 11
1891 Thomas Tapling, pioneer philatelist whose collection was second only to Count Ferrary's, dies at Leicestershire of pleurisy. He was only 36.",
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APRIL 12
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APRIL 13
1861 John Reagan, postmaster general of the Confederate States, instructs post offices in the South to report all remaining U.S. stamps in their stock.",
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APRIL 14
1981 The Canadian Parliament approves legislation coverting Canada Post into a Crown corporation with André Ouellet as its first president. The new status gives the post office a measure of autonomy from the government.",
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APRIL 15
1912 Five postal clerks and 3,364 bags of mail are lost when the White Star Line's RMS Titanic founders in the North Atlantic.1973 Harry M. Jones, pilot of the first U.S. air parcel post flight, dies at Tulsa, OK aged 82 years.",
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APRIL 16
1866 A 15¢ black mourning stamp [#77] is issued for the first anniversary of the murder of Abraham Lincoln. Some consider it to be the first U.S. commemorative.",
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APRIL 17
1914 The governor-general of Trinidad orders that any letters posted tomorrow and franked with charity labels purchased from the Red Cross will be treated as postage paid.",
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APRIL 18
1900 The U.S. releases its first stamp booklets, created from the 1894 2¢ Washington. A 1¢ per booklet premium is added to the cost of the stamps. (Wood, Post Dates gives the date as April 16.)1906 The U.S. Post Office at Seventh and Mission is destroyed by San Francisco's Great Earthquake.1914 900 letters are posted at Trinidad franked with charity labels purchased from the Red Cross. The governor-general has permitted this for one day only to raise funds for the organization.",
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APRIL 19
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APRIL 20
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APRIL 21
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APRIL 22
1932 The U.S. issues a stamp for the 60th annual Arbor Day depicting two children planting a tree [#717]. The models used were the children of then-BEP director Alvin Hall.",
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APRIL 23
1851 The Province of Canada issues its first stamp, the three-penny beaver designed by the engineer Sanford Fleming,",
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APRIL 24
1916 Irish Republican revolutionaries lay seige to and occupy the Dublin General Post Office on the opening day of the Easter Rising.",
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APRIL 25
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APRIL 26
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APRIL 27
1966 The U.S Post Office Department begins phasing out the Postal Savings System established in 1910.",
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APRIL 28
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APRIL 29
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APRIL 30
1971 The U.S. Post Office Department cancels seven of the eight remaining Railway Post Office routes, leaving only the New York-Washington DC route in operation.",
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MAY 1
1840 Britain's 'Penny Black', the world's first adhesive postage stamp, is placed on sale.",
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MAY 2
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MAY 3
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MAY 4
'Stamps are miniature documents of human history. They mirror the past and presage the future. They delineate cultural attainments, industrial works, domestic, civil and social life. In a word, these vignettes give a vivid picture of the world, its occupants and their multifarious endeavors.' - Cardinal Spellman, c. 19501889 A son, Francis, is born to William and Ellen Spellman of Whitman MA. He will become Cardinal Archbishop of New York and one of the country's foremost philatelists.1963 The Cardinal Spellman Philatelic Museum is dedicated at Weston MA.",
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MAY 5
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MAY 6
Today is World Stamp Day.",
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MAY 7
1833 24-year-old Abraham Lincoln is appointed postmaster of New Salem, IL. His annual salary is $55.",
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MAY 8
1971 The first U.S. stamp printed on the Andreotti gravure press, the 8¢ Missouri Statehood commemorative [#1426], is issued.",
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MAY 9
1939 The 'Philatelic Truck,' a museum of U.S. stamps on wheels, begins its cross-country journey. Visitors to the truck will see every U.S. stamp issued since 1847 and receive a special souvenir sheet printed by an onboard Stickney press.2006 Spanish authorities arrest more than twenty staff at Afinsa Bienes Tangibles on charges that they defrauded thousands of investors through a pyramid scheme involving rare stamps.",
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MAY 10
1865 Confederate States postmaster general John Reagan is taken prisoner by the Union Army at Irwinsville GA.",
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MAY 11
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MAY 12
1937 The George VI Coronation Omnibus issue is released throughout the British Empire.",
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MAY 13
1861 Confederate States postmaster general John Reagan announces that a rebel post office will begin operating on June 1.2006 An Oct. 1848 cover franked with a strip of 6 U.S. #2 and addressed to Richard Rush, then U.S. minister to France, is sold at auction for $1.38 million.",
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MAY 14
1918 William Robey purchases a sheet of 100 airmail stamps on his way to work. It turns out to be the only known sheet of the famous 'Inverted Jenny' error.",
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MAY 15
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MAY 16
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MAY 17
1851 Canada's second postage stamp, the green 'Six Pence Consort' picturing Prince Albert, is issued.",
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MAY 18
1930 The Graf Zeppelin begins its first round-trip voyage between Europe and the Americas.",
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MAY 19
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MAY 20
1917 Legendary stamp collector Philipp von Ferrary, Duke of Gallièri, dies in France at age 67.1962 The U.S. issues a stamp for the centenary of the Homestead Act [#1198]. It is the last stamp designed by Charles Chickering, regarded by many as 'the last of the great, prolific, in-house BEP designers.'",
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MAY 21
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MAY 22
1869 Earliest known usage of the first U.S. stamp to depict the flag [#121].",
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MAY 23
1677 'Sundry merchants' in the town of Boston complain to the General Court that their letters are being opened or stolen.",
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MAY 24
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MAY 25
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MAY 26
1928 The first U.S. stamp featuring the motto 'In God We Trust' is issued [#645].",
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MAY 27
1861 Postmaster General Montgomery Blair announces the suspension of all postal service to the Confederate States beginning May 31.2006 The 'Washington 2006' international philatelic exhibition opens at the DC Convention Center. Organizers report a first day attendance of 39,463.",
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MAY 28
1870 John Walter Scott, 'Father of American Philately,' holds the first stamp auction in America at Leavitt, Strebeigh & Co., in New York City.1913 Further printings of the 1911 registered mail stamp [#F1] are cancelled by the U.S. Postmaster General.1963 The only known cover franked with the 2¢ 'Hawaiian Missionary' stamp of 1851 sells at auction for $41,000 -- then a world record.",
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MAY 29
1914 1,012 lives and 4 freight cars worth of mail are lost when the RMS Empress of Ireland sinks in the St. Lawrence River after colliding with a Norwegian freigher. Weeks later, a salvage company manages to retrieve 61 bags of first-class mail.1976 The international philatelic exhibition Interphil '76 opens at Philadelphia.",
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MAY 30
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MAY 31
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JUNE 1
1861 The Confederate States of America's postal service begins operations.1910 The first of Belgium's many anti-tuberculosis semipostals issues is released. It pictures St. Martin of Tours giving his cloak to a beggar.",
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JUNE 2
1912 The first Japanese airmail is carried between Tokyo and Yokohama.",
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JUNE 3
1638 The General Court of Massachusetts-Bay orders the use of manuscript postmarks within the colony.",
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JUNE 4
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JUNE 5
1852 Two public mailboxes are installed at Toronto following a successful trial in Montréal.1889 A mail car is added to Australia's Albany-Perth railway, allowing ship mail to be sorted on board.1945 The first postage stamps are issued for the Soviet sector of occupied Berlin.1967 Great Britain issues the first 'Machin Head' definitives. The series is still going strong in 2006.",
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JUNE 6
1955 Certified Mail service is introduced in the U.S. It costs 15¢ and provides proof of delivery, but no insurance coverage. A special Certified Mail stamp [#FA1] is also issued.2006 Collectors rush to post offices around the world to have their covers cancelled with a '06/06/06' postmark.",
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JUNE 7
1997 U.S. Special Delivery service is abolished after 112 years.",
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JUNE 8
1872 An act of Congress raises the Postmaster General to Cabinet rank. Every PMG until 1971 will be a member of the Cabinet.1959 The U.S. Post Office makes its first and only delivery of missile mail. 3000 souvenir covers are loaded into a Regulus I cruise missile aboard the U.S.S. Barbero and fired toward the Naval Station at Mayport FL. Upon impact the mail was retrieved and forwarded to the Jacksonville PO for sorting and routing.",
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JUNE 9
1894 The Bureau of Engraving and Printing and the U.S. Post Office reach a settlement in the Bureau's lawsuit over the right to produce U.S. stamps. The American Bank Note Co., which had been printing the stamps, is ordered to turn over all dies and plates to the Bureau, which will do the printing from now on.1978 The international philatelic exhibition CAPEX '78 opens at Toronto. It will run for 10 days.",
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JUNE 10
1859 The Bahamas issues its first stamp, a one-penny red featuring the famous Chalon portrait of Queen Victoria.1947 Norfolk Island, 900 miles east of Australia, issues its first stamps. The series of 14 values depicts the harbor at Ball Bay.1978 Canada issues its first souvenir sheet at CAPEX '78 in Toronto. It honors the centenary of Canadian membership in the Universal Postal Union.2005 The Bureau of Engraving and Printing produces its last postage stamp, the 37¢ U.S. Flag self-adhesive coil [#3632].",
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JUNE 11
1852 A third public mailbox is installed in Toronto, on Yonge Street.1934 The new post office building on 12th Street in Washington DC is dedicated by postmaster general James Farley. It replaces the Old Post Office Building, derided as 'a cross between a cathedral and a cotton mill' by the New York Times when completed in 1899.",
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JUNE 12
1929 Dr. Lytle Adams' airmail pickup device is successfully used to exchange mailbags with the S.S. Leviathan at sea.1931 The Goodyear blimp collects mail at sea from the SS City of Los Angeles and successfully delivers it to San Pedro, CA.",
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JUNE 13
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JUNE 14
1900 Territorial government begins in Hawaii, and regular U.S. stamps are put into use.1919 Alcock and Brown leave Newfoundland in a surplus WWI bomber, bound for Ireland on the first nonstop transatlantic flight. They carry 196 covers franked with Newfoundland's first airmail stamp.",
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JUNE 15
1903 An early form of metered postage is used at Oslo, Norway.1919 Alcock and Brown arrive in Clifden, Ireland and claim a £10,000 prize offered by the Daily Mail for the first nonstop transatlantic flight. They also deliver 196 covers franked with Newfoundland's first airmail stamp.1942 The U.S. Post Office introduces V-Mail, the microfilming of soldiers' mail to conserve aircraft space. Using this method, approximately 150,000 letters could be carried in a single mailbag.",
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JUNE 16
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JUNE 17
1898 The U.S. Trans-Mississippi series is released. Collectors, still reeling from the $16.34 face value of the 1893 Columbians, are reluctant to buy.1963 The Pacific island nation of Tonga releases the world's first pressure sensitive adhesive stamps. Moreover, they're embossed on gold foil and resemble Polynesian coins!1970 Britain introduces 4 'Machin Head' definitives denominated in pounds and pence. The move is in advance of next year's switch to decimal currency.",
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JUNE 18
1926 The Fédération Internationale de Philatélie, or FIP, is founded at Paris.1943 Britain releases its first aerogram ",
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JUNE 19
1879 The Falkland Islands' first stamps are issued.1897 Canada issues its first commemoratives, the 'Diamond Jubilee' set, in honor of Victoria's 60th year as queen.",
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JUNE 20
1946 The French colony of Algeria issues its first airmail stamps.",
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JUNE 21
1840 Edward Stanley Gibbons, founder of the UK philatelic firm Stanley Gibbons Ltd., is born.",
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JUNE 22
1897 The world's first semipostals are issued by New South Wales in aid of a home for incurable tuberculosis patients. They are strikingly printed in blue, rose, and gold.1911 The George V 'Downey Heads' are released in Great Britain. The three-quarter profile of the king proves extremely unpopular.1943 The first of the U.S. 'Overrun Countries' series [#909-921], honoring Poland.1946 The first jet airmail flight in the U.S. takes off from the General Electric Air Research Lab in Schenectady NY.",
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JUNE 23
1933 Austria issues a souvenir sheet [#B111] in honor of a philatelic exhibition at Vienna. Today the 'WIPA Sheet,' as it is known, is one of Austria's rarest issues.1935 Germany issues the 'OSTROPA' souvenir sheet [#B68] for a stamp show at Konigsberg. Have you got one? Soak off all the gum; it was made with sulphuric acid that will destroy the paper. The Scott catalog value of $700 mint is for examples without gum.1975 A public-access postage meter vending machine is installed at the post office in the Shibuya ward of Tokyo.",
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JUNE 24
1904 The first postage stamps of the U.S. Canal Zone are issued.1919 Béla Kun's 'Hungarian Soviet Republic' issues its first and only stamps, a lithographed set featuring Communist revolutionaries. Kun is driven into exile later that year, having ruled for only 133 days.1947 Newfoundland issues its last commemorative stamp before joining the Canadian confederation in 1949. Denominated at 5¢, it depicts John Cabot sighting Cape Bonavista from his ship Matthew.",
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JUNE 25
1910 Congress authorizes the U.S. Postal Savings System, designed to appeal to immigrants. A minimum deposit of $1 paid 2% interest per year.1950 Israel issues its first airmails, a set of 6 depicting effigies of birds retrieved from archaeological digs.",
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JUNE 26
1847 Rawdon, Wright, Hatch & Edson inform Postmaster General Cave Johnson that the first U.S. postage stamps are ready for delivery.",
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JUNE 27
1950 The first Huck Press, a bi-color rotary web-fed press, is delivered to the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. It will be in testing for two years before being used to print a stamp.",
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JUNE 28
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JUNE 29
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JUNE 30
1863 Free mail delivery is introduced into 49 cities in the U.S.1867 The house of Thurn and Taxis sells the last of its postal concerns after nearly 400 years in business.1913 The first of Britain's 'Sea Horse' series are released. In use for sixteen years and designed by Sir Bertram McKennal, the Sea Horses are widely acknowledged as one of the world's most beautiful issues.1977 The last remaining U.S. Railway Post Office makes its final run between New York and Washington DC.",
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JULY 1
1845 The world's first multicolored stamp is released by Basel-Stadt, a canton of the Swiss Federation. Denominated at 2½ rappen, it is printed in black, crimson, and blue.1873 Free franking privileges for 9 U.S. government departments are discontinued, replaced by the use of Official Mail Stamps.1913 An order of the U.S. Postmaster General allows regular postage stamps to pay parcel post and postage due fees.1967 The U.S. Postal Savings System is officially ended. More than $60 million in deposits remain unclaimed and revert to the Treasury.1997 The first stamps of Hong Kong under Chinese control are issued.",
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JULY 2
1890 The British post office issues commemorative envelopes and postal cards for the golden jubilee of 'uniform penny postage.'1894 The American Bank Note Co., having lost the contract to print U.S. postage stamps, turns over all dies and plates to the Bureau of Engraving and Printing.1926 Prof. Robert Goddard of Clark University uses a liquid-fueled rocket to send mail from McAllen TX across the Rio Grande to Reynosa, Mexico.",
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JULY 3
1788 Postal service begins between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.1948 The first stamps are issued for use in Soviet-occupied East Germany.",
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JULY 4
1957 The U.S. issues a 4¢ engraved multicolored stamp featuring its flag and the inscription 'Long May It Wave.' The stamp is the first printed on Gualtiero Giori's press, which permitted three-color printing from a single plate, and proves very popular.",
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JULY 5
1884 An act of the U.S. Congress abolishes 'Official Mail' stamps and envelopes. They will be revived in 1910 and again in 1983.1973 The Isle of Man, a dependency of the British crown, issues its first stamps.",
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JULY 6
1939 The U.S. Post Office at 9th and Market in Philadelphia begins using an autogyro--a kind of hybrid airplane/helicopter--to shuttle mail six miles to the Camden (NJ) Airport.",
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JULY 7
1783 Hugh Finlay, former deputy postmaster general of the American colonies, is appointed to the same position in the Canadian provinces.1838 The 25th Congress orders that 'Each and every railroad within the limits of the U. S. which now is, or hereafter may be completed, shall be a post route.'1894 Arthur Banta's 'Bicycle Mail Service' makes its first run between Fresno and San Francisco CA during a railroad strike. The service costs 25¢ in addition to regular U.S. postage, payable with privately issued stamps.",
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JULY 8
1963 The U.S. Treasury prohibits the importation of Cuban postage stamps.",
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JULY 9
1934 Restricted delivery service is introduced in the U.S. For a fee of 10¢, mail will only be delivered to the addressee.1939 LZ-130, the Graf Zeppelin, carries its first mail nearly 300 miles from the airfield at Friedrichshafen to Leipzig.",
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JULY 10
1973 The U.S. 'Progress in Electronics' issue is released. The 15¢ value is the first stamp engraved by 26-year-old Tom Hipschen of the BEP, who is regarded today as the Bureau's best working engraver.",
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JULY 11
1862 An act of the U.S. Congress authorizes the creation of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing.",
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JULY 12
1917 François Fournier, the prolific philatelic forger, dies at Geneva aged 71. The Union Philatélique de Genève will burn most of his remaining stock to prevent it reaching the market.1922 The U.S. 10¢ Messenger on Bicycle special delivery design, first used in 1902, is finally replaced by #E12. A sign of changing times, the messenger now rides a motorcycle!1937 The George VI period of British Empire philately is inaugurated as Grenada issues a one farthing brown depicting the new King.",
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JULY 13
Today is Treskillingdagen (Treskilling Day) in Sweden.1857 The only extant copy of Sweden's 'Treskilling Yellow' color error was cancelled on this date. The stamp should have been green.1849 Jacob Perkins, American-born founder of Perkins, Bacon & Co., dies at London nine years after his firm printed the Penny Black.1937 The U.S. Post Office's first day cancel for U.S. #795, the Northwest Ordinance issue, is the first to incorporate the words 'First Day of Issue' within 7 horizontal killer bars.",
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JULY 14
1937 The U.S. Post Office announces a design competition for a definitive issue to be released the following year. The result is the Presidential Series of 1938.",
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JULY 15
1858 The first 'Bull's Head' stamps are issued by Moldavia. A bull's head surmounted by a star has been the symbol of the princes of Moldavia since at least the 14th century.1918 Responsibility for the new Washington-Philadelphia-New York airmail route is transferred from the War Department to the Post Office.1933 The British mandate of Iraq releases the world's first aerogramme. Major Douglas Gumbley, the director of posts, designed them for the newly established Iraq-Britain air mail route.1939 The German-occupied 'protectorate' of Bohemia and Moravia (formerly part of Czechoslovakia) issues its first stamps.",
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JULY 16
1653 By letters patent from Frederick III of Denmark, Paul Klingenberg, a merchant from Hamburg, is granted a postal monopoly in that country.1917 The U.S. post office begins accepting used magazines for delivery to servicemen in World War I--but requires that postal patrons affix 1¢ postage to any magazines they turn in!",
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JULY 17
1895 The Detroit River mail service begins U.S. mail delivery to the crews of Great Lakes vessels. 'Mail-by-the-pail' is hoisted aboard vessels in 5-gallon drums as they pass under the Ambassador Bridge. Today the service has its own ZIP code, 48222.",
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JULY 18
1855 The first postage stamp of New Zealand is released.1894 The first stamp printed by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, the 6¢ value of the 1894 series depicting James A. Garfield [#256], is issued. The BEP will produce virtually every U.S. stamp until 1979.1983 The U.S. Postal Service introduces next day Express Mail service for packages weighing up to two pounds. The fee is $9.35.",
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JULY 19
1712 A pension fund is established for Danish postmen. Within 35 years, more than 1,000,000 imperial rix-dollars will be paid out from this fund.1934 The Navy dirigible U.S.S. Macon, on a long-distance flight over the Pacific, delivers mail to President Roosevelt, who is traveling from Panama to Hawaii aboard the cruiser Houston.",
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JULY 20
1711 Edmund Dummer closes his packet service between Britain and the West Indies and declares bankruptcy. His remaining ships are sold to satisfy his creditors.1956 East Germany releases a two-stamp set for the death centenary of composer Robert Schumann. Unfortunately, the bars of music shown on the stamp are by Franz Schubert.1969 The first postal service on the moon: astronaut Neil Armstrong postmarks a cover with a 'Moon Landing/USA/JUL/20/1969' cancellation.",
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JULY 21
1836 The Champlain and St. Lawrence line, Canada's first railway, opens. The transit time for a letter from Montreal to New York City is reduced to 64 hours.1943 A letter to the editor of the New York Times protests the inclusion of Austria in the 'Overrun Countries' series [#909-921]. Austrians were a bit too enthusiastic about Nazism for the author's taste.1941 Great Britain issues a special 2½-penny aerogramme valid for writing to British POWs held in Axis Europe.",
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JULY 22
1915 Sir Sandford Fleming, the Scots engineer who designed Canada's first postage stamp, dies at Halifax NS aged 88.1929 The North German Lloyd liner SS Bremen, on her second westbound voyage to New York, launches the first civilian katapultflug, or catapult mail flight.",
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JULY 23
1867 The first U.S. Post Office in Alaska opens at Sitka under postmaster John Kinkead.1933 A squadron of Italian Savoia-Marchetti flying boats, commanded by air minister Italo Balbo, takes off for Rome after making an appearance at the Century of Progress Exposition in Chicago. The flight is depicted on a triptych of two stamps plus an express label issued by Italy [#C48-49].",
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JULY 24
1933 An orange-brown 75¢ airmail stamp of Newfoundland [#C17] is overprinted for use on mail carried by Italo Balbo's squadron of seaplanes. The resulting stamp is denominated at $4.50 [#C18].1992 The USPS introduces microprinting. The 29¢ Wildflowers pane of 50 [#2647-96] has the denomination screened in the background.",
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JULY 25
1856 Puerto Rico begins using postage stamps of Cuba.1928 The U.S. issues the 5¢ 'Beacon' stamp [#C11] to meet the new, lower, airmail rate that goes into effect Aug. 1.1936 Engelbert Dollfuss, the Austrian chancellor who was assassinated for opposing the Nazis, is commemorated on a blue 10-schilling stamp. Today the stamp [#380] is the key issue in any collection of pre-war Austria and catalogs over $1000.",
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JULY 26
1775 The Second Continental Congress, meeting at Philadelphia, names Benjamin Franklin postmaster general for the American colonies then in rebellion. His salary is fixed at $1000.1932 The Japanese puppet régime in Manchukuo issues its first stamps, depicting the White Pagoda of Liaoyang and the Emperor Puyi.",
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JULY 27
1878 Cyprus, under British control by agreement of the Ottoman Empire, begins using British stamps and postal rates.1883 Montgomery Blair, postmaster general during the U.S. Civil War and a founder of the Universal Postal Union, dies at Silver Spring MD aged 70. (Wood, Post Dates, says it was the 23rd.)",
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JULY 28
1862 A mail sorting car, the first in the U.S., is placed into service on the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad.1934 Gerhard Zucker attempts to rocket mail across the Sound of Scarp in the Hebrides. The rocket explodes in flight.",
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JULY 29
1925 Italy releases stamps for its colony of Transjuba (Oltre Giuba) on the horn of Africa, recently ceded by Britain.1968 The U.S. Treasury prohibits the importation of Rhodesian postage stamps.",
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JULY 30
1898 The first U.S. post office opens in the Philippines following American victory in the Spanish-American War. It is under the jurisdiction of the San Francisco P.O.1912 Japan issues the 'Tazawa Series' of 16 stamps in denominations from ½ sen to 1 yen. It commemorates the death of Emperor Mutsuhito and accession of Yoshihito.1993 The U.S. National Postal Museum opens in the old Washington DC Main Post Office, across from Union Station.",
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JULY 31
1635 King Charles I accepts a proposal by Thomas Witherings, 'His Majesties Post-Master for Forraigne Parts,' to open the royal mail service to the public.",
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AUGUST 1
1876 A 900-mile stage coach mail route is inaugurated between Winnipeg, Manitoba and Edmonton, Alberta",
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AUGUST 2
1784 A regular mail coach with uniformed guards makes its first run between London and Bristol via Bath.",
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AUGUST 3
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AUGUST 4
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AUGUST 5
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AUGUST 6
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AUGUST 7
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AUGUST 8
1873 The 'Ice House cover,' only known cover bearing a U.S. 1869 90¢ Lincoln [#122], is postmarked today.1963 A night mail train between Euston station in London and Glasgow is stopped and robbed of £2 million in bullion.",
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AUGUST 9
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AUGUST 10
1850 The only known used block of the 1850 Saxony 3-pfennig dark red color variety was cancelled on this date.",
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AUGUST 11
1986 The first retail 'Postal Store' opens in Des Moines IA.",
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AUGUST 12
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AUGUST 13
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AUGUST 14
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AUGUST 15
1861 The U.S. Post Office begins distributing the ungrilled 1861 series to post offices in the remaining Northern states.",
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AUGUST 16
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AUGUST 17
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AUGUST 18
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AUGUST 19
1923 The first stamps of the U.S.S.R. are issued to promote an agricultural fair in Moscow.",
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AUGUST 20
1959 Canada's St. Lawrence Seaway invert is discovered at a post office in Winnipeg.",
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AUGUST 21
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AUGUST 22
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AUGUST 23
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AUGUST 24
1912 The U.S. Congress authorizes preparation of parcel post stamps for use beginning 1 January 1913.",
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AUGUST 25
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AUGUST 26
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AUGUST 27
1870 The Russian crown recongizes the Zemstvo post offices, which have been operating extralegally for five years.",
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AUGUST 28
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AUGUST 29
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AUGUST 30
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AUGUST 31
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SEPTEMBER 1
1923 Philatelic publisher G.W. Linn creates the first cacheted FDC for the 2¢ President Harding mourning stamp [U.S. #610].",
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SEPTEMBER 2
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SEPTEMBER 3
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SEPTEMBER 4
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SEPTEMBER 5
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SEPTEMBER 6
1839 Her Majesty's Treasury announces a public competition to design Britain's first stamp. A first prize of £200 is offered.",
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SEPTEMBER 7
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SEPTEMBER 8
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SEPTEMBER 9
Today is 'Postage Stamp Day' in Croatia.",
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SEPTEMBER 10
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SEPTEMBER 11
1932 Richard M. Cabeen writes his first column as stamps editor for the Chicago Herald Tribune.",
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SEPTEMBER 12
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SEPTEMBER 13
1886 The American Philatelic Association is formed at New York City. 'Association' will be changed to 'Society' in 1908.",
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SEPTEMBER 14
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SEPTEMBER 15
1891 The 'Federated Association of Letter Carriers' is formed in Canada as a benevolent association. Within a decade, however, it looks an awful lot like a labor union; by 1918 it is calling strikes.1937 A design submitted to the U.S. Post Office by 25-year-old Elaine Rawlinson of New York is chosen for the definitive series of 1938, also known as the 'Prexies.' Rawlinson receives a $500 prize.",
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SEPTEMBER 16
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SEPTEMBER 17
1932 The first number of Stamps magazine is published at Hornell NY.1943 The first stamps overprinted 'A.M.G.' (Allied Military Government) are issued for use in occupied Italy.",
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SEPTEMBER 18
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SEPTEMBER 19
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SEPTEMBER 20
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SEPTEMBER 21
1867 The second issue of the Pontifical (Roman) States, printed on surface-colored paper, is released.",
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SEPTEMBER 22
1789 An act of Congress charters the U.S. Post Office for one year. This act must be renewed annually and does not become permanent until 1792.1954 The first national exhibition of Vatican City stamps in the U.S. opens at Philadelphia.",
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SEPTEMBER 23
1911 Earle Ovington is sworn in as a mail carrier by the U.S. Postmaster General before beginning one week of daily airmail flights between Garden City and Mineola NY.1955 The 2½- and 5-shilling values of Britain's Wilding/Castles definitive series are issued.",
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SEPTEMBER 24
1711 The Danish postal service is taken over from private contractors by the state.",
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SEPTEMBER 25
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SEPTEMBER 26
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SEPTEMBER 27
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SEPTEMBER 28
2004 Amtrak loses its mail contract with the U.S. Post Office, ending 172 years of 'mail by rail' in that country.",
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SEPTEMBER 29
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SEPTEMBER 30
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OCTOBER 1
October is Stamp Collecting Month in the U.S., Canada, and Australia.1874 Free city mail delivery is instituted at Montreal.1883 Congress reduces the rate for first class mail from 3¢ to 2¢ per half ounce.1922 Cash-on-delivery service is introduced in Canada.",
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OCTOBER 2
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OCTOBER 3
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OCTOBER 4
1847 An order for 30 barrels of wine is mailed to France from Mauritius franked with both the one penny orange and the two penny blue stamps. The cover last sold in 1992 for $3 million.1904 U.S. Postmaster General Henry Clay Payne dies in office.1922 An 11¢ stamp featuring Rutherford B. Hayes [#563] is issued; for the first time, an officially designated first day and city of issue is announced in advance.",
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OCTOBER 5
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OCTOBER 6
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OCTOBER 7
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OCTOBER 8
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OCTOBER 9
Today is World Postal Day.1874 The General Postal Union is founded at Berne, Switzerland. 'General' will be changed to 'Universal' in 1878.",
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OCTOBER 10
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OCTOBER 11
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OCTOBER 12
2005 Post Danmark pays 2 billion kroner for a 49.9% interest in the Belgian postal service. Denmark announces that the move is a first step toward 'full liberalisation of European postal services in 2009.'",
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OCTOBER 13
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OCTOBER 14
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OCTOBER 15
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OCTOBER 16
1861 The first Confederate postage stamp, a 5¢ green Jefferson Davis lithographed by Hoyer & Ludwig [#1], goes on sale at Richmond VA.",
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OCTOBER 17
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OCTOBER 18
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OCTOBER 19
2005 The only plate block of the 24¢ 'Inverted Jenny' [U.S. #C3a] sells at auction for $2.7 million.",
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OCTOBER 20
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OCTOBER 21
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OCTOBER 22
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OCTOBER 23
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OCTOBER 24
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OCTOBER 25
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OCTOBER 26
1859 The city government of Copenhagen orders that houses be numbered to facilitate mail delivery.1861 One of the two known covers franked with the 1861 Grove Hill AL postmaster's provisional was cancelled on this date.",
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OCTOBER 27
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OCTOBER 28
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OCTOBER 29
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OCTOBER 30
1846 or '47 One of the three known covers bearing the Millbury MA postmaster's provisional was cancelled on this date.",
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OCTOBER 31
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NOVEMBER 1
1910 The Bureau of Engraving and Printing begins using single-line watermarked paper.",
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NOVEMBER 2
2005 Don Sundman, owner of the 1868 1¢ 'Z' Grill Franklin [U.S. #85a], and Bill Gross, owner of the only plate number block of the Inverted Jenny [#C3a], publicly swap their prized possessions. Gross now owns the only complete 19th century U.S. collection ever assembled.",
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NOVEMBER 3
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NOVEMBER 4
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NOVEMBER 5
1639 Richard Fairbanks of Boston is appointed first postmaster of the Massachusetts Bay colony. He collects one penny for each letter he delivers or sends.1928 G.W. Linn publishes the first number of Linn's Stamp News at Sidney, OH.1957 The U.S.S.R. releases a stamp to celebrate the successful launch of Sputnik. All 3,000,000 copies are sold in a matter of days.",
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NOVEMBER 6
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NOVEMBER 7
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NOVEMBER 8
1938 'The Annex' opens across the street from the Bureau of Engraving and Printing at 14th & C Streets in Washington DC. The new facility provides better lighting and working conditions for the bureau's engravers.",
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NOVEMBER 9
1837 Queen Victoria visits the Guildhall, London. William Wyon's medal, struck for the occasion, becomes the portrait of the Queen on the Penny Black.",
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NOVEMBER 10
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NOVEMBER 11
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NOVEMBER 12
1919 Brothers Ross and Keith Smith leave Hounslow, England in a Vickers aeroplane carrying the first airmail to Australia. They arrive at Melbourne on 26 Feb -- 106 days later!",
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NOVEMBER 13
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NOVEMBER 15
1864 Georges Herpin coins the word 'philately' in a number of Le Collectioneur de Timbres-postes issued today.1974 The U.S. releases its first self-adhesive stamp, the 10¢ Christmas [#1152] depicting the weather vane at Mount Vernon.",
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NOVEMBER 16
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NOVEMBER 18
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NOVEMBER 19
The Syracuse NY Stamp Club was founded on this day in 1919.1901 New Zealand annexes the Pacific Island of Niue and opens a post office there.1949 The first stamp printed on a Giori press is released by Argentina.1957 Great Britain releases stamps with graphite on the reverse in an early attempt at automated mail sorting.1965 The U.S. POD issues the first value in the Prominent Americans series, the untagged 4¢ Abraham Lincoln [#1282].",
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NOVEMBER 20
1909 The British governor-general of the Falkland Islands appoints a postmaster for the island of South Georgia.1913 Hungary releases its first semipostal series in aid of Danube River flooding victims.1931 Regular airmail service begins between Gibraltar and Tangiers.1985 The last of the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing's Huck-Cottrell presses are decommissioned.",
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NOVEMBER 21
1851 Cardinal Secretary of State Antonelli announces that stamps will be introduced in the Pontifical (Roman) States the following year.1908 The first French stamps are created for the condominium of New Hebrides by overprinting stamps of New Caledonia.1947 The first postage stamps of the Dominion of India are released.1952 The U.S. 3¢ Red Cross Centenary stamp [#1016] is issued. It is the first to be printed by both intaglio and letterpress.1983 Canada Post releases Stick 'n' Tick optical character recognition labels for post codes.",
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NOVEMBER 22
1852 The first pillar-style letter boxes are installed at St. Hélier, Jersey in the English Channel.1918 Estonia, newly independent after the collapse of imperial Russia, issues its first stamps.1928 The republic of San Marino issues its first parcel post stamps.1935 Pan American Airways' China Clipper takes off from Naval Air Station Alameda, inaugurating regular airmail service to the Philippines.",
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NOVEMBER 23
1837 Parliament forms a committee to study postal reforms following the publication of Rowland Hill's pamphlet that called for a penny post.1860 The first Jamaican stamps are issued. Printed by De La Rue & Co., they feature a pineapple watermark.1961 Cyprus joins the Universal Postal Union.",
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NOVEMBER 24
1870 The balloon Ville d'Orleans takes off from the beseiged city of Paris during the Franco-Prussian war carrying 4 mail bags. Bound for Belgium, it lands instead in Norway 15 hours later.1935 The Greek monarchy is restored to the throne by plebiscite and King George II's government issues its first postage stamps.",
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NOVEMBER 25
1846 A love letter franked with the 'Alexandria Blue Boy' postmaster's provisional was cancelled on this date.1911 Beckwith Havens, a pilot for the Curtiss Aeroplane Company, flies mail at Savannah GA.1926 An early instance of ship-to-shore mail: a De Havilland seaplane takes off from the White Star Line's RMS Homeric and lands at The Battery in Manhattan.",
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NOVEMBER 26
1906 Luxembourg issues the world's first souvenir sheet [#82a] to mark the accession of William IV to the Grand Duchy.1928 Egypt issues its first special delivery stamp [#E1]. Printed in green, it depicts a postman on a motorcycle.",
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NOVEMBER 27
1912 The U.S. issues its first parcel postage due stamps [JQ1-2] denominated at 1¢ and 5¢.1920 The imperial Russian post offices in China, open since 1870, are closed by the Bolshevist revolutionaries.",
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NOVEMBER 28
1765 The earliest known Russian postmark is used on a letter mailed from St. Petersburg.1802 President Jefferson appoints Gideon Granger of New York to be Postmaster General.1846 The 'United States City Despatch Post,' a New York City local post, is sold to Abraham Mead.1958 French Equatorial Africa is dissolved and the Congo Republic issues its first stamps.",
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NOVEMBER 29
1842 Brazil announces that it will issue postage stamps in 1843, only the second country to do so.1893 The Bureau of Engraving and Printing sues the U.S. Post Office Department for the right to bid for stamp production contracts.1902 The first post office on Fanning Atoll is operated by New Zealand.1910 Robert Scott's Terra Nova expedition attempts the South Pole. Scott, deputed a New Zealand postmaster, carries 23,000 NZ one-penny stamps overprinted 'Victoria Land' for the occasion.",
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NOVEMBER 30
1922 The Canadian division of the American Bank Note Company reorganizes as the Canadian Bank Note Company, Ltd. The new company will produce all Canadian stamps for the rest of the 1920s.1954 The U.S. POD issues the first 'Savings Stamps' redeemable for Treasury bonds. The program ends in 1970.1981 Grenada issues its first sempostals [#B1-5] for the España 82 Soccer World Cup.",
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DECEMBER 1
1848 The Russian imperial post releases stamped envelopes valid throughout the empire.1854 Britain's Australian colony of Victoria issues one shilling registered mail stamps, the world's first.1879 The U.S. issues its first international postal card, the 2¢ Liberty [#UX6].1911 The only U.S. registered mail stamp, #F1, is issued.1913 The first annual Swiss Pro Juventute semipostals are issued to benefit child welfare.1945 Nicolas Sanabria, pioneer aerophilatelist, dies at New York while working on the 1946 edition of his Airpost Catalogue.",
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DECEMBER 2
1793 Congress grants itself, the president, and other officals the free franking privilege.1862 The Nicaraguan Republic issues its first stamps. Engraved by the American Bank Note Company, they show the country's north-central mountains.1885 The short-lived South African republic of Stellaland withdraws its stamps two months after reconquest by Britain.1893 The first Belgian precancels are placed on sale.1978 FRAMA-built machines begin vending postage in Norway.",
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DECEMBER 3
1795 Rowland Hill, originator of the adhesive postage stamp, is born in Kidderminster, England.1927 Regular airmail service begins between the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico.1968 The first airmail issues inscribed 'Netherlands Antilles' rather than 'Curaçao' are released.",
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DECEMBER 4
1829 The first postmaster in Western Australia receives his commission at Fremantle.1883 The first post office at Tolt, in the Washington Territory, opens in Postmaster Moses Morris' log cabin.1934 Australia's first attempt at delivering mail by rocket ends when the fuselage lands in the Brisbane River.",
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DECEMBER 5
1839 Britain's Royal Mail lowers the postage rate to four pennies per half ounce. Critics claim they're just. stalling on real postal reform.1842 'Money letter' service, an early form of registered mail, is started at Nova Scotia.1918 The first Polish stamps, Austrian issues overprinted POLSKA POCZTA, are placed on sale at Lublin.1952 The 1½d. and 2½d. values of Britain's Wilding/Castle definitive series are placed on sale. They pay the basic postcard and letter rates, respectively.1963 Stanley Donen's film Charade debuts at Radio City Music Hall. Philatelists love the film because a collection of rare stamps is key to the plot.",
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DECEMBER 6
1922 The Irish Free State, proclaimed today by King George V, issues its own stamps and orders all scarlet British mailboxes to be painted green.1927 First airmail service to Haiti on the island of Hispaniola.1977 The South African 'bantustan' of Bophuthatswana issues its first stamps. Collectors still disagree whether they are legitimate postal issues.",
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DECEMBER 7
1835 The Republic of Texas establishes a post office.1898 The Dominion of Canada releases its famous 2¢ Imperial Penny Postage stamp, commonly called the 'Map Stamp.'1942 Britain releases a 6d. aerogramme intended for Christmas messages to troops in the field.1971 Elmer T. Klassen becomes the first postmaster general of the reorganized United States Postal Service. He will be widely criticized for slashing services rather than waste and for raising postal rates by 2¢.",
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DECEMBER 8
1840 The last of the Penny Black plates, #10, goes to press.1862 The British crown colony of Hong Kong receives its first postage stamps.1953 Honduras releases a stamp [#CE1] that pays the combined special delivery and airmail rates.",
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DECEMBER 9
1901 Arthur H. Pitney, a clerk at a wallpaper company in Chicago, files for a patent on a postage metering maching. He will not meet Walter H. Bowes, however, until 1919.1921 The U.S. POD establishes its Philatelic Sales Division. Today the PSD has its own ZIP code [20265] and a 300-acre, underground fulfillment center in Kansas City, MO.1961 The East African republic of Tanganyika [now in Tanzania] issues its first stamps.",
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DECEMBER 10
1857 Russia announces that its first stamps, valued at 10, 20, and 30 kopeks, will be issued on 1/1/1858.1917 Great Britain uses the world's first slogan cancel to advertise war bonds.1920 Pitney-Bowes introduces metered mail at Stamford, CT.1934 A regular airmail service begins between Britain and Australia.",
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DECEMBER 11
1841 Penny Black plate #1 is destroyed after 18 months of use. It has been repaired four times and also been used to print the Penny Reds.",
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DECEMBER 12
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DECEMBER 13
1846 Probable date that the unique cover bearing a Boscawen NH postmaster's provisional was mailed.1941 The U.S. Post Office's 'Philatelic Truck' ends its nationwide tour in San Diego CA. The armored van contains an exhibit showing every U.S. stamp issued to that date.",
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DECEMBER 14
1912 The first stamps of the Chinese Republic are issued. They picture the president, Dr. Sun Yat-Sen.",
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DECEMBER 15
1941 The Polish government-in-exile at London issues stamps for use on board Polish naval and merchant vessels. The Allied Nations recognize the stamps as valid and deliver mail franked with them.1949 Nigeria issues its first aerogrammes.",
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DECEMBER 16
1839 William Mulready completes the design for his 1d. and 2d. letter sheets.1897 A steam-driven van carries mail 23.25 miles between London and Surrey, England.1912 The 20¢ value in the U.S. parcel post series is issued. It is the first stamp in the world to picture an aeroplane.",
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DECEMBER 17
1932 KLM, the Royal Dutch Airline, inaugurates regular airmail service to the Netherlands Antilles.1950 U.S. CU.S.toms bans the importation and sale of North Korean postage stamps.",
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DECEMBER 18
Today is 'Postage Stamp Day' in the Czech and Slovak republics.1860 The first issue of St. Lucia, consisting of three values, is released. As they are undenominated, their value is indicated by their color.1904 Russia issues its first semipostals. The surtax is for children of soldiers killed in the Russo-Japanese War.1918 The first stamps of Czechoslovakia, designed by Alfons Maria Mucha, are placed on sale. They picture Prague's Hradcany Castle.",
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DECEMBER 19
1840 The Post Office approves the colors for Britain's second stamp issue: red for the 1d. value and blue for the 2d.1918 Latvia issues its first stamps, printed on the backs of surplus German military maps of Russia.",
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DECEMBER 20
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DECEMBER 21
1861 Alfred Potiquet of Paris publishes his 10-page Catalogue des Timbres-poste créés dans divers États du Globe, considered by many to be the world's first stamp catalogue.",
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DECEMBER 22
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DECEMBER 23
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DECEMBER 24
1624 King Christian IV of Denmark issues a 'Royal Ordinance on Postmen' that is often cited as the founding of the Danish post office.1921 Yugoslavia joins the Universal Postal Union.1940 The English Channel island of Guernsey, occupied by German forces, permits the bisecting of 2d. stamps owing to a shortage of the 1d. value.1949 Israel joins the Universal Postal Union.",
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DECEMBER 25
1775 The British post office ceases operations in the rebellioU.S. American colonies.1871 Norway issues its first stamp picturing a post horn surmounted by a crown. The design is still in use.1898 Imperial Penny Postage is inaugurated; a letter can now be sent anywhere in the British Empire for 1d.",
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DECEMBER 26
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DECEMBER 27
1889 Thomas De La Rue & Co. submit 1d. and 2s. essays for a British issue celebrating the golden jubilee of the postage stamp.1980 The U.S. 'Geat Americans' definitive series debuts with a 19¢ issue depicting the Cherokee scholar Sequoyah.",
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DECEMBER 28
1791 South Africa's Cape of Good Hope opens its first post office and appoints a postmaster.1975 The U.S. Postal Service inaugurates a 17¢ domestic airmail rate. The new rate is a bait-and-switch swindle; domestic mail posted at the 10¢ first-class rate is routinely carried by air anyway!",
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DECEMBER 29
1865 The world's first stamp auction is held at l'Hôtel Drouot in Paris. The entire stock of dealer J. W. Elb fetches a paltry 800 francs (about $3,000 in today's money).1956 Italy issues a 3-D stamp to celebrate its first year as a member of the UN. They require special stereoscopic glasses to be seen as intended.1973 The first stamps of the Grenadines of Grenada are issued.",
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DECEMBER 30
1899 Earliest known use of the DoremU.S. cancelling machine in the U.S. Doremus cancels are distinguished by their vertical killer bars.",
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DECEMBER 31
1835 Austrian bureaucrat Laurenz Koschier proposes that the Imperial Ministry of Finance issue postage stamps, four years before Rowland Hill proposes the same thing in Britain. Koschier's proposal is rejected as too impractical.1898 All unsold quantities of the Trans-Mississippi issue are recalled and destroyed.1950 Boston's pneumatic mail system closes for good, leaving only New York as the only U.S. city with such a system.1953 New York's pneumatic mail service closes for good."
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