Story of Stamps: 35 Remarkable Facts about their History and Significance 2

26Kirani James Stamp

Kirani James Stamp

Kirani James won Grenada's first-ever Olympic gold medal in 2012. His home country was so proud that the government held a giant 3-hour celebratory rally which was attended by thousands, gave him $186,000 USD, printed new stamps, named a new stadium after him, and built a museum/gym in his home town.



27. Scotland's National Bard, Robert Burns, is also seen as the "People's Poet" of Russia. A commemorative stamp was issued in his honor by the Soviet Government in 1956 (160 years after his death) and his work continues to be popular in Russia to this day.



28. In 1974, the United States Postal Office issued a 10-cent stamp which said "Retarded Children Can Be Helped."



29. Iran Air Flight 655 was an Iran Air civilian passenger flight that was shot down by the US Navy guided missile cruiser USS Vincennes in 1988. All 290 on board, including 66 children and 16 crewmembers died. One month later, Iran released a postage stamp to commemorate the disastrous attack.



30. A Redback Spider stamp was designed as part of a "Dangerous Australians" stamp series in 2006 but was withheld from general circulation by Australia Post due to concerns that the realistic depiction would scare people opening their mailboxes.



31Marie Curie Stamp

Marie Curie Stamp

In 2011, Togo released a postage stamp of Marie Curie, but instead of using the photo of Marie Curie, by mistake they used the photo of an actress who once portrayed Marie Curie.



32. In 2016, the Government of Barbados issued a limited edition series of postage stamps featuring some of their centenarians and super-centenarians.



33. Reuse of a stamp is a felony in the US.



34. The glue on Israeli postage stamps is certified Kosher.



35. The first child to be "mailed" was sent to his grandmother in 1913. The 10 ¾ pound boy from Batavia, Ohio was sent to his grandmother a mile away. The boy’s parents paid 15 cents for the stamps and insured their son for $50.