Cool Fact of the Day
First Postage Stamp
What was the first prepaid, adhesive postage stamp?
Philatelists (postage stamp collectors) describe prepaid postage tokens dating as far back as
1653. These included printed paper letter wrappers, special "postal paper" endorsed with ink
stamps, and even black feathers embedded in wax seals, but none of these early tokens were
adhesive paper stamps.
The first known adhesive paper stamps were printed in Greece in 1831, but they were
probably not used for prepaid postage. These 40-lepta denominated stamps may have been
charity receipts for a fund supporting Greek refugees from Crete, although some collectors
believe they were postage due labels.
The earliest documented, prepaid adhesive postage stamps were England's "Penny Black"
stamps, designed by Rowland Hill and brought into service in 1840. Millions were printed and
used, and many are in collections today. Within three years, similar adhesive stamps were
used in Brazil, and soon they were in use worldwide.
The Penny Black was preceded by other postage systems:
norbyhus.dk
Rowland Hill and the Penny Black:
geocities.com
stamps.about.com
bouletfermat.com
Cool Word of the Day
iota [n. i-O-tuh]
An iota is an extremely small amount of something. It is often used negatively to express an
absence. Example: "I don't have one iota of respect for that man." Near synonyms include
whit, shred, speck, crumb, scintilla, and jot.
Jot is closely related to the word that gave us iota. Iota was first seen in English as jota and
later jote (both with a long "o" sound). These later gave way to the current spelling iota. The
root word is the Latin iota, from the Greek iota (the ninth letter in the Greek alphabet), and is
related to the Hebrew yod.
More about the Greek alphabet:
ibiblio.org
Person of the Day
Stephen Hales, 1671-1761
English physiologist, botanist, inventor
Stephen Hales was the first botanist to scientifically study transpiration -- the process by
which plants emit water vapor into the air. In addition to determining that plants absorbed
water through their roots and permitted it to evaporate from their leaves, Hales also
determined that the sap in plants flows upward, in opposition to the force of gravity.
Hales's experiments with the pressure of sap in plant tissues led him to investigate the flow of
blood in the human body. As a result, he was the first scientist to measure human blood
pressure. His studies of human anatomy also included measuring the blood-pumping capacity
of the heart and determining that the spinal column conveyed reflex impulses throughout the
body.
Hales also created a ventilating device that was used to move air into closed-in spaces, such
as prison cells and cargo holds on seagoing vessels, and experimented with food preservation
techniques.
More about Stephen Hales:
hcs.ohio-state.edu
Quotes of the Day
Doubt; Doubt leads to understanding:
"When one admits that nothing is certain one must, I think, also add that some things are more
nearly certain than others."
-- Bertrand Russell, 1872-1970, British philosopher, mathematician, Nobel laureate
"If there were no falsehood in the world, there would be no doubt; if there were no doubt,
there would be no inquiry; if no inquiry, no wisdom, no knowledge, no genius."
-- Walter Savage Landor, 1775-1864, English Poet and Essayist
"Doubt is the vestibule which all must pass before they can enter the temple of wisdom. When
we are in doubt and puzzle out the truth by our own exertions, we have gained something that
will stay by us and will serve us again. But if to avoid the trouble of the search we avail
ourselves of the superior information of a friend, such knowledge will not remain with us; we
have not bought, but borrowed it."
-- C. C. Colton, 1780-1832, English author and clergyman
Today in History
May 28th
1871: Bloody Week Ended
A weeklong civil war, known as "Bloody Week," between French troops and civilians from
the Paris Commune, ended with the massacre of more than 20,000 Communards. The Paris
Commune was a grassroots popular government led by Paris's working class. The leaders
were elected democratically, and factories and workshops were turned into cooperatives.
The Paris Commune is known as the "first workers' government":
home.sol.no
1892: Sierra Club Founded
John Muir and 181 other chapter members founded the Sierra Club in San Francisco,
California. This environmentalist organization has been one of the major forces behind the
founding and preservation of national parks in the US.
John Muir has been considered the "Father of the National Park System":
tipiglen.dircon.co.uk
1934: First Known Quintuplets to Survive Infancy Were Born
The first known quintuplets to survive infancy were born. Elzire Dionne, a poor
French-Canadian woman, gave birth to five identical baby girls -- Cecile, Annette, Yvonne,
Emilie, and Marie. The quintuplets were taken away from their parents and made wards of the
Ontario government. The sisters became celebrities and endorsed many commercial products.
Several movies and documentaries have been made of the Dionne Quintuplets:
onf.ca
1961: "The Forgotten Prisoners" Published
English lawyer Peter Benenson published "The Forgotten Prisoners," an article about the
thousands of men and women imprisoned worldwide because of their political or religious
beliefs. The publication gave rise to Amnesty International, which eventually became one of
the largest and most respected human rights organizations in the world.
A London newspaper published Benenson's article:
amnesty.org
1987: Mathias Rust Flew Through Soviet Airspace
A 19-year-old West German, Mathias Rust, flew a plane from Helsinki to Moscow, passing
through Soviet airspace unchallenged and eventually landing on the Red Square in Moscow.
His daring exploit shook the Soviet hierarchy to its foundations.
Soviet authorities imprisoned Rust for 18 months:
angelfire.com
Holidays & Events
May 28
Shavuot, Cooper's Hill Cheese Roll
JUDAISM: SHAVUOT
Shavuot is the Jewish holiday celebrating the harvest season. This holy day commemorates the
anniversary of the giving of the Torah (the law) to Moses and the Israelites on Mt. Sinai.
Shavuot is also known as Feast of Weeks, Feast of First Fruits, and Pentecost.
Legends and customs of Shavuot:
holidays.net
The spiritual importance of Shavuot explained:
joi.org
A Shavuot word find for kids:
torahtots.com
ENGLAND: COOPER'S HILL CHEESE ROLL
Every year on the last weekend of May people gather in Gloucestershire, England, to chase a
high-speed wheel of cheese rolling down a hill. The decorated cheese wheel is released by a
master of ceremonies and shortly after runners chase 1000-ft after it down a steep incline.
People are often injured trying to stay on their feet. The person who catches the eight pounds
of double Gloucester cheese takes it home. Thousands of spectators watch the race safely
from behind fences.
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