Frederick the Great, King of Prussia died August 17, 1786. Frederick the Great (1712-1786) Issued in 1933 to coincide with the opening session of the new Reichstag in Potsdam Frederick II (born January 24, 1712, Berlin, Prussia —died August 17, 1786, Potsdam, near Berlin) was the king of Prussia (1740–86), a brilliant military campaigner who, […]
French novelist and playwright Honoré de Balzac died August 18, 1850 in Paris, France. Honoré de Balzac - For the Unemployed Intellectuals This semi-postal stamp was part of a series started in the 1935 to support unemployed writers, artists and intellectuals. A portion of the money raised from these stamps went towards the relief program […]
On August 19, 1915 the father of modern Turkish poetry, Tevfik Fikret died in Istanbul. In attempting to define a new literature, Tevfik Fikret and his contemporaries often wrote in an obscure style and in language containing many Arabic and Persian words not easily accessible to the average reader. Greatly influenced by the French Symbolist poets, he sought […]
Nobel Prize poet Salvatore Quasimodo was born August 20, 1901 in Modica, Sicily. ...the birth of a poet is always a threat to the existing cultural order Salvatore 1959 Salvatore Quasimodo Issued by Italy in 2001 Designed by A.M. Maresca The poet is alone with infinite objects in his own obscure sphere and does not […]
Vienna opened Stadtpark, Austria's first public park, August 21, 1862. Designed by Vienna's first city gardener, Rudolph Siebeck, in 1861 using original plans by Joseph Selleny Stadtpark Vienna and Botanic Gardens Buenos Aires This pair of stamps were part of a joint issue celebrating Argentina's Independence bicentennial. Designed by Michael Rosenfeld In 1862 the city […]
Michael Collins, Irish Republic revolutionary, soldier & politician was assassinated in a roadside ambush on August 22, 1922. Collins was central figure in the Irish fight for independence from British rule. ... Collins never demonised his political opponents and his death in an ambush at Béal na Bláth during the Civil War robbed Ireland of […]
Nazik Al-Malaika, one of Iraq's great modern poets, was born August 22, 1923 in Baghdad. Al-Malaika was an anomaly in her society, and her legacy as a poet resulted from her breaking away from many traditions. Nazik al-Malaika (1923-2007) Iraqi Woman’s Journey Changes Map of Arabic Poetry | Al Jadid Nazik Al-Malaika (1923-2007) Issued by […]
Irish landscape painter Paul Henry died August 24, 1958 in Bray, Ireland. “Cezanne and Van Gogh saw clearly because they had cast aside all the theories and prejudices of the Schools and were looking at nature as if for the first time, and above all seeing it with emotion.” S.B. Kennedy, author of book Paul […]
On August 25, 1835, New York City was shaken by the New York Sun's Great Moon Hoax. The Sun ran a 6 part satirical series about discoveries on the moon, and, like today, many, many people skipped right over the "satire" and leapt to hysteria. GREAT ASTRONOMICAL DISCOVERIES LATELY MADE BY SIR JOHN HERSCHEL, L.L.D. […]
Antonie van Leeuwenhoek, the "Master of Fleas and Father of Microbiology" died August 26, 1723. Antoni van Leeuwenhoek (1632-1723) naturalist Issued by the Dutch post office in 1937 Designed by Samuel Louis (Sem) Hartz The Dutch scientist and entrepreneur Antonie van Leeuwenhoek (1632–1723) was the first to discover and describe microorganisms (protists, bacteria), living beings […]
Italian writer, poet, translator, publisher and critic Cesare Pavese committed suicide August 27, 1950. ... the greatest and most influential Italian intellectuals of the 20th century. Cesare Pavese: life and works Cesare Pavese (1908-1950), Writer Issued by Italian post in 2008 Designed by Rita Morena Cesare Pavese is widely regarded as one of the foremost […]
Italian composer Umberto Giordano was born in Foggia, Apulia, Italy on August 28, 1867. Birth Centenary of Umberto Giordano (1867-1948) Issued in 1967 by Italy Today Giordano is remembered for one work – “Andrea Chénier.” It remains one of the major verismo works of all time, known for its lush melodies for its soloists. The […]