When most people refer to “the Shinx”, they are usually talking about the Great Sphinx of Giza (أبو الهول — ʼabu alhōl in Arabic, which translates in English as “The Terrifying One”, literally: “Father of Dread”). Commonly referred to as the Sphinx of Giza or just the Sphinx, this is a limestone statue of a reclining creature with the body of a lion and the head … Continue reading The Great Sphinx of Giza
Most watercraft featured on ASAD to date have been ocean liners or historic sailing vessels as well as the occasional smaller boat rather than cargo ships and the like. I recently obtained a large quantity of souvenir sheets from the Democratic Republic of Korea (“North Korea”) and had originally planned to feature a passenger ship from the 1978 set celebrating the country’s maritime heritage. However, … Continue reading North Korean Cargo Ship Chong Chon Gang
The great white pelican (Pelecanus onocrotalus) also known as the eastern white pelican, rosy pelican or white pelican is a bird in the pelican family. It breeds from southeastern Europe through Asia and Africa, in swamps and shallow lakes. It is a huge bird — only the Dalmatian pelican is on average, larger among pelicans. It measures 140 to 180 cm (55 to 71 in) … Continue reading Great White Pelican
For today’s “random stamp”, I chose one from Denmark — the second this month — which reflects my love of archaeology and earthenware pottery. In the early 1990’s, as a member of the Kansas Anthropological Society, I participated in the Kansas Archeology Training Program doing fieldwork near the Arkansas River in the southeastern portion of the state. I soon enrolled in pertinent courses at Johnson County Community … Continue reading Skarpsallingkarret at the National Museum of Denmark
On July 19, 1843, British engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s steamship the SS Great Britain was launched, becoming the first ocean-going craft with an iron hull and screw propeller as well as the largest vessel afloat in the world. Designed by Brunel for the Great Western Steamship Company’s transatlantic service between Bristol and New York, she was the longest passenger ship in the world from 1845 … Continue reading S.S. Great Britain
On March 16, 2010, the Duchy of Luxembourg released a pair of stamps portraying six castles along the Eisch (Äisch in Luxembourgish) — a river flowing through Belgium and Luxembourg, joining the Alzette on its left in Mersch. The Luxembourgish part of the Eisch is informally known as the “Valley of the Seven Castles”, for the seven castles that line its route. I’m not sure why Entreprise des … Continue reading Valley of the Seven Castles
What we know as the kiwifruit (or just kiwi) today was originally known as the Chinese gooseberry, the edible berry of several species of woody vines in the genus Actinidia. The most common cultivar group of kiwifruit (‘Hayward’) is oval, about the size of a large hen’s egg (2.0-3.1 inches or 5–8 cm in length and 1.8-2.2 inches or 4.5–5.5 cm in diameter). It has a … Continue reading Kiwifruit
On July 16, 1790, the District of Columbia was established as the capital of the United States after signature of the Residence Act. Founded after the American Revolution as the seat of government of the newly independent country, the City of Washington was named after George Washington, first President of the United States and Founding Father. Washington is the principal city of the Washington metropolitan area, … Continue reading The Residence Act of 1790 & the Development of Washington, D.C.
A Stamp A Day 