On March 2, 1933, the film King Kong opened at New York’s Radio City Music Hall to rave reviews. Directed and produced by Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack, the screenplay by James Ashmore Creelman and Ruth Rose was developed from an idea conceived by Cooper and Edgar Wallace. It stars Fay Wray, Bruce Cabot and Robert Armstrong. It has been ranked by Rotten … Continue reading King Kong’s Film Debut
The Anglo-Egyptian Sudan (السودان الإنجليزي المصري — as-Sūdān al-Inglīzī al-Maṣrī) was a condominium of the United Kingdom and Egypt in the eastern Sudan region of northern Africa between 1899 and 1956, but in practice the structure of the condominium ensured full British control over the Sudan with Egypt having local influence instead. It attained independence as the Republic of the Sudan, which since 2011 has … Continue reading Anglo-Egyptian Sudan & Its Iconic Camel Postman
The wildebeest, also called gnu, is a genus of antelopes, scientific name Connochaetes. It belongs to the family Bovidae, which includes antelopes, cattle, goats, sheep and other even-toed horned ungulates. Connochaetes includes two species, both native to Africa: the black wildebeest, or white-tailed gnu (C. gnou); and the blue wildebeest, or brindled gnu (C. taurinus). Fossil records suggest these two species diverged about one million … Continue reading Wildebeest (Gnu)
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
The bongo (Tragelaphus eurycerus) is a herbivorous, mostly nocturnal forest ungulate. It is among the largest of the African forest antelope species. Bongos are characterized by a striking reddish-brown coat, black and white markings, white-yellow stripes and long slightly spiraled horns. Indeed, bongos are the only tragelaphid in which both sexes have horns. They have a complex social interaction and are found in African dense … Continue reading Bongo Antelope
One of the reasons that I love collecting stamps so much is that I learn quite a lot about people, places and events I previously had no knowledge of. The hobby has stimulated my love for history and has enabled me to become quite an expert at geography. It all starts with curiosity: what is on my stamp? Where is it? The quest for those … Continue reading Lake Naivasha, Kenya
Riding the local version of a bus (called a songtesaw, meaning “three seats”) to work today, I decided I wanted to write a “random stamp day” article about giraffes. I felt it would be an “easy” topic compared with the recent marathons involved putting together the articles on Jamestown (more than 11,000 words) and Air Mail/Inverted Jenny (almost 6200 words). I need to do a few … Continue reading The Giraffe
Zebras are several species of African equids (horse family) united by their distinctive black and white striped coats. Their stripes come in different patterns, unique to each individual. They are generally social animals that live in small harems to large herds. Unlike their closest relatives, horses and donkeys, zebras have never been truly domesticated. There are three species of zebras: the plains zebra, the mountain … Continue reading The Zebra
A Stamp A Day 