Month: July 2018

Stamp Issuers

United Nations Office at Geneva – Palais des Nations

The United Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG) is the second-largest of the four major office sites of the United Nations (second to the United Nations Headquarters in New York City). It is located in the Palais des Nations building constructed for the League of Nations between 1929 and 1938 at Geneva in Switzerland, and expanded in the early 1950s and late 1960s. On December 11, 1968, an agreement between the United Nations and the Swiss Postal Telephone and … Continue reading United Nations Office at Geneva – Palais des Nations

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Topicals

Baobab Tree

Adansonia is a genus of deciduous trees known as baobabs. They are found in arid regions of Madagascar, mainland Africa, Arabia, and Australia. The generic name honors Michel Adanson, the French naturalist and explorer who described Adansonia digitata. Of the nine species accepted as of April 2018, six are native to Madagascar, two are native to mainland Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, and one is native to Australia. One of the mainland African species also occurs on Madagascar, … Continue reading Baobab Tree

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Historic Events, Historic Places

Arc de Triomphe, Paris

The inauguration of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France, occurred on July 29, 1836, following 30 years of construction. The Arc de Triomphe de l’Étoile (Triumphal Arch of the Star) is one of the most famous monuments in Paris, standing at the western end of the Champs-Élysées at the center of Place Charles de Gaulle, formerly named Place de l’Étoile — the étoile or … Continue reading Arc de Triomphe, Paris

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Stamp Issuers

Principality of Sealand

It has been a long time since I added a new “stamp issuers” article on ASAD as most of my recent collecting activities have revolved around adding to existing collections. A recent acquistion, however, included a large number of stamps from the Geneva and Vienna offices of the United Nations (both of which will feature in their own “issuers” articles in the near future) as … Continue reading Principality of Sealand

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Historic Events

Transatlantic Telegraph Cable

On July 27, 1866, the first permanent transatlantic telegraph cable is successfully completed, stretching from Telegraph Field, Foilhommerum Bay, Valentia Island in western Ireland to Heart’s Content in eastern Newfoundland. The stamp featured today commemorates an earlier cable through which the first communications occurred on August 16, 1858, reducing the communication time between North America and Europe from ten days — the time it took to deliver … Continue reading Transatlantic Telegraph Cable

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Historic Events, Historic People, Topicals

Louis Blériot and the First Flight Across the English Channel

On July 25, 1909, French aviator, inventor and engineer Louis Blériot made the first flight across the English Channel in a heavier-than-air machine from Calais, France to Dover, England, in 37 minutes. Unfortunately, due to my American-centric education I suppose and despite a boyhood interest in aviation as it pertained to the Wright Brothers and Lindbergh, I don’t recall ever hearing about Blériot until I … Continue reading Louis Blériot and the First Flight Across the English Channel

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Historic Places

Painswick, Gloucestershire and its Post Office

As a stamp collector, some of my favorite topicals include on-stamp depictions of my hobby as well as the conveyance of the mail itself. The latter includes postal workers and vehicles, post boxes in all their incarnations (especially pillar boxes), and post offices — the older or more unusual, the better. At first glance, the stamp featured on this “random stamp day” looked to be a … Continue reading Painswick, Gloucestershire and its Post Office

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