U.S. Coast Guard in World War II

U.S. 3c stamp postmarked at New York on 10^th November 1945 commemorates the role of the U.S. Coast Guard in World War II. The stamp pictures two coast guard landing crafts with a supply ship in the background.

During World War II, the U.S. Coast Guard served as a specialized branch of the U.S. Navy. It was responsible for stowing dangerous cargo, protecting ships and ports, and establishing beach-landing methods.

World War II killed more people, destroyed more property, disrupted more lives, and probably had more far-reaching consequences than any other war in history. It hastened the fall of Western Europe as the centre of world power, and led to the rise of the Soviet Union. The development of the atomic bomb during the war opened the nuclear age.

World War II began when Germany invaded Poland in 1939 and ended when Germany, and later Japan, surrendered in 1945. Military deaths as a result of World War II numbered about 17 million. Also, millions of civilians died because of starvation, bombing raids, massacres, epidemics, and other war-related causes. Battles were fought all over the world: Southeast Asian jungles, North African deserts, Pacific islands, Soviet battlefields, Atlantic beaches, and European streets. The war reshaped the map of Europe and changed the American way of life.

Thank you Merja for this nice cover.

The new Zoo in Jerusalem

Zoo’s throughout the world serve three main purposes: conservation of animals, education and recreation. As far as animals and nature conservation is concerned, these activities are coordinated with those of the national and international organisations which work to preserve wild-life threatened with extinction and return them to nature.

The new Zoo in Jerusalem. The new zoo in Jerusalem is situated in Manahat Park, in an area south-west of the city, a special landscape in an open, hilly area. The zoo was built according to the latest thinking on zoos, which places emphasis on the quality of the conditions for the animals.

The mini sheet of Israeli stamps on this First Day Cover postmarked 17.9.1992 shows four of the prominent animals in the New Zoo. They are:

The Asian Lion which is a sub-species, different from the African Lion. It is known for its great mane which reaches right down to its under-belly. Hunting is done together in the pride, mainly by the females. They eat about 25kg of meat at a time and doze most of the day. The Asian Lion lives only in the forests of North West India and is in real danger of extinction - today there are only a few hundred left. In the past, this lion could be found in Israel, but became extinct here in the 12th century.

The Persian Leopard is similar to the Galilee sub-species which became extinct in 1965, but is different from the sub-species found today in Israel. It is active mainly at night, is an excellent climber and swimmer, and catches its prey by lying in wait and ambushing it. It mainly eats on the high branches of trees so as to avoid having to share its meal with other predators.

The Chimpanzee These social and intelligent apes can be seen in the zoo in a natural setting. Aggression and submission, care and rearing of young can all be seen in the group. As in the wild, chimpanzees also use tools to extract honey from specially drilled holes in logs the keepers have prepared for them. Captive breeding groups of chimpanzees in zoos are important in conserving this species which is becoming rare in nature.

The Asian Elephant Elephants are the largest of land mammals. Their huge size requires enormous amounts of food and water. A 4 1/2 ton elephant needs 200 kg food and 150 litres water daily. Because of their needs, they are among the first to suffer as man consumes the forests and grasslands of Africa and Asia. Both African and Asian elephants are fully protected by international law, and trade in ivory is strictly forbidden. Asian elephants are still used as working animals today. These highly intelligent animals can learn up to 100 commands. Breeding elephants is rare in captivity.  

Thank you Merja for this fantastic FDC.

U.S. 8¢ Statue of Liberty 22.3.1958

This U.S. 8c stamp, coloured Dark violet blue and carmine rose, issued and postmarked on this cover on 22.3.1958 features a redrawn version of the Statue of Liberty as it appeared on earlier U.S. Statue of Liberty stamps printed in 1954. While the previous issues, printed on the Flat Plate and Rotary Presses, had to be run through the printer twice, the 1958 issue was printed on Giori press, which could print both colours on a single pass through the press.

The Statue of Liberty is a magnificent copper sculpture given to the United States by France in 1884. On October 28, 1886, the statue was dedicated. Its complete name is Liberty Enlightening the World. This majestic symbol of the United States, representing freedom for immigrants coming to America as well as the bond of freedom shared between the United States and France, stands above Liberty Island at the entrance to New York Harbour in Upper New York Bay.

The people of France donated the money to build the statue, and the people of America raised the funds to build its base. The French sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi designed the statue and chose its location. Alexandre Gustave Eiffel, the French engineer who later built the Eiffel Tower in Paris, designed the statue’s framework. The statue stands 301 feet and 1 inch high from foundation to torch.

In the early 1980s, a program was started to make major repairs and improvements to the statue. This effort concluded in 1986 – the 100th anniversary of the Statue of Liberty’s dedication in the U.S. A popular tourist attraction, the statue attracts about 2 million visitors each year.

Thank you Merja for this cover.

Lafayette’s 200th birth anniversary 6.9.1957

Featured on this 3c U.S. stamp, the Marquis de Lafayette (Gilbert du Motier),  a young French noble who came to America to help with the Colonies’ struggle for freedom is featured. The image on the stamp is a portrait painted by Joseph Desire Court. It shows the ornamental sword that the U.S. government presented to Lafayette in thanks for his help. This stamp issued on 6.9.1957 and the cover postmarked on that day at Fayetteville in North Carolina commemorates Lafayette’s 200th birth anniversary.

The Continental Army Endures the Winter at Valley Forge. From December 19, 1777, to June 19, 1778, the Continental Army, under the command of General George Washington, camped at Valley Forge. Valley Forge is located about 25 miles west of Philadelphia along the Schuylkill River. Washington took his army there after losing the battles of Brandywine and Germantown. Washington chose to camp at Valley Forge due to its defendable location and proximity to farm supplies and trade routes. That winter proved to be unusually harsh. The troops were poorly clothed and supplied, and had only the rough log shelters they had built themselves. To make matters worse, there was a smallpox epidemic. Of the approximately 10,000 troops camped at Valley Forge, about 2,500 died.

However, General Washington’s determined leadership, as well as that of the officers under his command, such as the Marquis de Lafayette and Baron Frederick von Steuben, held the troops together. In fact, when a small group of officers attempted to stir sentiment against Washington, Lafayette was one of the general’s staunchest supporters. The shared hardships toughened the American army and solidified its determination. The recently defeated, undisciplined troops that entered Valley Forge in December emerged a highly skilled fighting force in June.

Thank you Merja for this cover.

“Toward United Nations, April 25, 1945”

In 1943, President Franklin D. Roosevelt championed a new world peace organization to replace the League of Nations. World nations agreed to an international conference to be held in San Francisco and a postage stamp issue was planned to commemorate the event. Intended as a postal ambassador for the fledgling organization, the stamp was assigned a 5¢ value, the first class surface rate to foreign destinations.

Various designs were rejected and on 3 April, Roosevelt suggested the wording “Toward United Nations, April 25, 1945”, and a simple border with the words over a laurel branch. Roosevelt died two weeks before the conference and the Bureau of Engraving and Printing added his name to the design as the quote’s author.

Thank you My Dear Friend Merja for this rare cover, postmarked in San Francisco on 25^th April, 1945.

President Sauli Niinistö's 65th birthday - the person and the position 23.8.2013

Itella Posti Oy released a stamp to mark the 65th birthday of Sauli Niinistö, President of the Republic of Finland, on August 23, 2013. The stamp was designed by Tapio Vapaasalo, professor emeritus at Aalto University.

According to Professor Vapaasalo, the aim was to design a stamp that emphasizes the value leadership of the President. "The selected style reflects Sauli Niinistö's personality and position in an identifiable way. The goal was to avoid pageantry and to emphasise his republican state of mind." 

I wonder what reader's feel about the black coloured background on the stamp? For a birthday stamp any colour other than black would probably have been more suitable. That's my view any way!

As an exception to previous presidential stamps, Niinistö's birthday stamp is based on a photo instead of a traditional portrait painting. The stylish black-and-white photo by Pertti Nisonen presents the president in profile, which, according to Vapaasalo, gives an impression of being above everyday things.

The President's slogan Kaikki työ on arvokasta - Allt arbete är värdefullt (‘All work is valuable') has been printed on the sheet of stamps as well as on the FDC.

Thank you Dear Ella for this memorable FDC.

Norwegian Scientists

The four stamps on this cover were issued by Norway on 15.10.1970 to honour their scientists. The cover was given to me by my friend Pia.

Johan Ernst Gunnerus(1718 – 23 September 1773) was a Norwegian bishop and botanist. Gunnerus was born at Christiania. He was bishop of the Diocese of Nidaros from 1758 until his death and also a professor of theology at the University of Copenhagen.

Hans Strøm(25 January 1726 – 1 February 1797) was a prominent Norwegian zoologist and naturalist. He is best associated with his topographical description of Sunnmøre. Hans Strøm' was born in the traditional district of Sunnmøre, in Borgund in Møre og Romsdal County, Norway. His father was a clergyman and many other relatives of both his father and mother were ministers. He attended the Bergen Cathedral School. He was educated as a Lutheran clergyman and in 1745 took a theological degree at the University of Copenhagen. Then he worked from 1750 to 1764 as chaplain in Borgund. In 1764 he became parish priest, first in Volda where he served until 1779, when he went to Eike where he served as Vicar for 18 years.

Hans Strøm was the first Norwegian who gave species descriptions for Norwegian animals. The results of his research was published as Physisk og Oeconomisk Beskrivelse over Fogderiet Søndmør I-II (Copenhagen, 1762-1766), a work that established his reputation as a scientific authority. He followed up this work with a number of articles, particularly where the natural sciences were strongly represented. He co-founded the Royal Norwegian Society of Sciences and Letters in 1760, with Gerhard Schoning, the historian, and Johan Ernst Gunnerus, bishop of Trondheim. In 1779, Strøm was elected a foreign member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. He was also elected as a member of a number of science academies in Norway, Denmark and Germany.

Michael Sars(30 August 1805 – 22 October 1869) was a Norwegian theologian and biologist. Michael Sars was one of the last great descriptive zoologists who catalogued organisms more or less equally successfully in all major animal groups. Sars also described fossils from various fossil beds in Norway and appears to have been keenly interested in all sorts of other issues. Sars was asked by the Parliament of Norway to investigate the biology of Norwegian fisheries, such as the herring and cod fisheries. He had started these investigations by the time of his death, but most of them were completed and published posthumously by his son, Georg Ossian Sars. He was elected a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in 1855.

Georg Ossian Sars(April 20, 1837 – April 9, 1927) was a Norwegian marine and freshwater biologist. Georg Ossian Sars was born on April 20, 1837, in Kinn, Norway (now part of Flora), the son of Michael Sars and Maren Sars; the historian Ernst Sars was his elder brother, and the singer Eva Nansen was his younger sister. He grew up in Manger, Hordaland, where his father was the local priest. He studied from 1852 to 1854 at Bergen Cathedral School, from 1854 at Christiania Cathedral School, and joined the university at Christiana (now the University of Oslo) in 1857. He indulged his interest in natural history while studying medicine; having collected water fleas in local lakes with Wilhelm Lilljeborg's works, he discovered new species, and this resulted in his first scientific publication. Georg Ossian Sars had a good memory and excellent drawing skills, and illustrated some of his father's zoological works.

Sars was a founding investigator of ichthyoplankton. In 1864, he was commissioned by the Norwegian government to investigate fisheries around the Norwegian coast. One of his first discoveries was that the of cod are pelagic, that is, they inhabit the open water column. He continued to receive the patronage of the government throughout his career. Sars' primary research focus was on crustaceans and their systematics. He described many new species in his career, including in his magnum opus, An Account of the Crustacea of Norway. He was awarded the Linnean Medal in 1910.

Georg Ossian Sars never married, and died on April 9, 1927 in Oslo. He is remembered in the scientific names of a number of marine invertebrates, as well as the journal Sarsia, and the flagship of the Norwegian research fleet, the RV G.O.Sars.