On This Day In History

The coronation of Queen Victoria took place on the 28th of June, 1838. Rowland Hill chose her profile to be put on the very first British adhesive stamp, the Penny Black. This year the Penny Black is celebrating its 175th birthday. (Painting by Sir George Hayter, 1838; since I don't have any of these precious items, I copied them from the web. K.)

On this day in 1775, the U.S. postal system is established by the Second Continental Congress, with Benjamin Franklin as its first postmaster general. Franklin (1706-1790) put in place the foundation for many aspects of today's mail system. (Does anyone have a nice scan of those first Franklin stamps?)

This might be of interest, right from the USPS historian, on Benjamin Franklin and the July 26, 1775 event of him being appointed the first Postmaster General:

https://about.usps.com/who-we-are/p...franklin.pdf

70 years ago today.

[URL="http://www.pichome.ru/image/dCd][/url]

This is an illustration of how the Americans missed at the Kwantung Army

[URL="http://uploads.ru/WwXUA.jpg][/url]

70 years ago today.

It took East German soldiers and construction workers only a few days beginning on the 13th of August, 1961, to isolate West Berlin. The first barriers were only of barbed wire; that was followed by cinder blocks and barbed wire. The final version of the Wall, including land mines, etc., was constructed during the next years.

These Flags will be raised today after many decades of strife between the two nations. Embassies are being reopened. The old drawing was taken from a cigar box label, 1902 (found on the web.).

70 years ago today. The formalities of surrender took place later on the "Missouri" in Tokyo Bay on the 2nd of September. McArthur is reading his famous speech.

15th of August, 1945

The picture of MacArthur speaking at the microphone at the end of the signing ceremony reminds me of his final words: "These proceedings are closed." I always thought that was a cool way to end it -- short and emphatic.

Today is 'World Humanitarian Day, a day dedicated to recognize humanitarian personnel and those who have lost their lives working for humanitarian causes. It marks the day on which the then Special Representative of the Secretary-General to Iraq, Sérgio Vieira de Mello and 21 of his colleagues were killed in the bombing of the UN Headquarters in Baghdad, 2003' (from Wikip). This large commemorative sheet for the 50th anniversary of the UN says "We, the people of the UN are allies for a better world" (I cut it for better fitting. K)

Ten years ago these days, hurricane Katrina was gathering power over the Gulf before it hit the coast of the States.

That was on this day in 1963.

On the 1st of September, 1939, Hitler attacked Poland, especially at the big old port city of Danzig. This date is generally regarded as the beginning of WWII in Europe. At first Polish stamps were simply overprinted, but soon the Reich printed new ones. The Postmark for the 19th of September reads "Danzig greets with great joy its leader and liberator." The old Krantor has been restored and is a majestic site in the harbor.

During the first few days of September 1985 the wreck of the Titanic was discovered by the Alvin expedition. Many countries issued commemorative stamps on the 100th anniversary of her sinking.