French civil engineer Gustave Eiffel was born December 15, 1832 in Dijon, Côte-d'Or. An engineer by training, Eiffel founded and developed a company specializing in metal structural work, whose crowning achievement was the Eiffel Tower. He devoted the last thirty years of his life to his experimental research. All about Gustave Eiffel - The Eiffel […]
Jane Austen was born December 16, 1775, Steventon, Hampshire, England. On the 200th anniversary of the publication of Pride and Prejudice, Royal Mail released a six stamp set featuring each of Austen's books. All were designed by Webb and Webb Design and released 2013. Sense & Sensibility Pride & Prejudice Mansfield Park Emma Northanger Abbey […]
After a lengthy battle of wills, Pope Paul III finally excommunicated Henry VIII of England December 17, 1538. Pope Paul III From the 4th Centenary of the Council of Trent series Issued 1946 by the Vatican Designer: Corrado Mezzana Henry VIII Issued 2009 by the Isle of Mann Designer: Kcreative On this day in […]
The Czech Republic's first President, Václav Havel, died December 18, 2011 Dissident, poet, playwright, and politician 1936 - 2011 For Vaclav Havel, and for his people, everything changed in 1989, the year of Czechoslovakia's Velvet Revolution, when he led the extraordinary display of people power which toppled the ruling communist regime. Obituary: Vaclav Havel - […]
On December 19, 1915, the voice of a generation Édith Piaf was born. Piaf was featured in a 2012 joint release from France and USA . The US featured Miles Davis and France Piaf. Miles Davis/Edith Piaf Released in US and France on June 12, 2012 Designed by Greg Breeding of the USPS Photographs: Edith […]
Turkish poet, writer and politician Mehmet Akif Ersoy was born December 20, 1873. Mehmet Akif Ersoy (1873-1936) 20th Death Anniversary of Mehmet Akif Ersoy series Issued by Türkiye's post office PTT in 1956 Mehmet Akif Ersoy is known to the Turkish people as the author of the National Anthem. Mehmet Akif Ersoy is also known […]
On December 21, 1913, the world's first crossword puzzle was published in the Fun section of the New York World. Liverpool born, US editor Arthur Wynne is credited with creating the modern crossword when he printed his diamond shaped puzzle. Two stamps were released on the 100th anniversary of the first puzzle. One from the […]
The BBC aired the first episode in Nigel Kneale's science fiction masterpiece, Quatermass and the Pit, live on December 22, 1958. "I can compare the sensation the last Sex Pistols performance produced only to Five Million Years to Earth, a film made in England in 1967 under the title Quatermass and the Pit." ‘Five Million […]
Internationally renowned Armenian-Canadian photographer Yousuf Karsh was born December 23, 1908. After years as a refugee from the Armenian massacres of 1915, Karsh eventually made his way to Canada in 1925. On the stormy New Year’s Eve of 1925, the liner Versailles reached Halifax from Beirut. After a voyage of twenty-nine days, her most excited […]
On December 24, 1818, Father Joseph Mohr's Silent Night (Stille Nacht, Heilige Nacht) was performed for the first time. Mohr's simple poem was put to music by organist Franz Xaver Gruber and has been sung in 300 + languages. J. Mohr (1792-1848) poet & F.X. Gruber (1787-1863) composer Released in 1948 by Austria's post office […]
On December 25, 2021, NASA launched the James Webb Space Telescope. It left earth aboard the Ariane 5 launch vehicle at 07:20am EST (2021-12-25 12:20 GMT/UTC) and headed off for an orbit that would take it 1.5 million km from earth. Webb was designed for a mission of at least five years, with a goal […]
December 26 is the start of Kwanzaa, a celebration of the African American community, culture and family. The celebration runs until January 1, 2025. Kwanzaa emerged during the Black Freedom Movement of the 1960s as a way to reconnect Black communities in the U.S. with important African cultural traditions that were severed by the transatlantic […]