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
On January 25, 1942, the government of Thailand formally declared war on the United States of America and Great Britain. The nation had officially adopted a position of neutrality until it was invaded by the Empire of Japan in December 1941 which led to an armistice and, later, the military alliance treaty between Thailand and the Japanese. At the start of the Pacific War, the … Continue reading Thailand’s War Against Britain & the United States
Thanksgiving Day — my favorite American holiday — this year falls on the same day as my favorite Thai holiday, Loy Krathong (ลอยกระทง). I covered the latter in an article on A Stamp A Day in 2016; my Thanksgiving article in 2016 detailed the 1621 harvest feast held at Plymouth Plantation while last year’s account dealt with a history of the holiday itself as well … Continue reading Happy Turkey Day, America!
The barking owl (Ninox connivens), also known as the winking owl, is a nocturnal bird species native to mainland Australia and parts of Papua New Guinea and the Moluccas. They are a medium-sized brown owl and have a characteristic voice with calls ranging from a barking dog noise to a shrill human-like howl of great intensity. The barking owl was first described by the English … Continue reading The Barking Owl
A gazelle is any of many antelope species in the genus Gazella or formerly considered to belong to it. Six species are included in two genera, Eudorcas and Nanger, which were formerly considered subgenera. The genus Procapra has also been considered a subgenus of Gazella, and its members are also referred to as gazelles, though they are not dealt with in this article. Gazelles are … Continue reading The Mountain Gazelle
In April 2013, Canada Post began an Adopt a Pet campaign using stamps conveying the message that Canadians, when looking for a pet, should first contact their local humane society or SPCA. A humane society is a group that aims to stop human or animal suffering due to cruelty or other reasons. In many countries, the term is used mostly for societies for the prevention of … Continue reading Pet Adoption in Canada
I had a 36-year-old Kate Bush song* stuck in my head for half of the night so my topic was chosen long before I actually woke up. Far from being the “random stamp” I usually select when confronted with days for which I cannot make a date match with a stamp, I simply had to take a look at all of the kangaroo-themed stamps in … Continue reading The Kangaroo
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)
A Stamp A Day 