Animals

On December 30, 1992, the USPS issued its first Chinese New Year stamp, honoring the start of the Year of the Rooster. The stamp proved popular and led to three different series honoring the holiday.

On December 28, 1973, President Richard Nixon signed the Endangered Species Act into law in an effort to protect threatened species from extinction.

On October 10, 1858, the first shipment of overland mail arrived in San Francisco. It completed its journey in 23 days, a vast improvement over previous services.

On September 28, 1891, author Herman Melville died in his New York City home. While it was a moderate success during his lifetime, Melvile’s novel Moby-Dick is now considered a masterpiece of American literature.

On September 20, 2011, the USPS issued its fourth Semipostal stamp. The Save Vanishing Species stamp has raised over $7 million in the years since it was first placed on sale.

On August 16, 1916, the US and Canada signed the first Migratory Bird Treaty to protect the birds that live in both nations. Several programs came out of this agreement that has helped to save hundreds of species of migratory birds.

Eugenie “Genie” Clark was born on May 4, 1922, in New York, New York.  Nicknamed “The Shark Lady,” she was a world-renowned marine biologist best known for her work with sharks and trailblazing in the field of scuba diving for marine research.

On February 2, 1887, the first official Groundhog Day event was held in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania.  However, the tradition dates back much further to the Christian holiday known as Candlemas, and likely even further to the pre-Christian Celtic holiday of Imbolc.

Since 2013, National Bison Day has been held on the first Saturday in November, which falls on November 5, 2022. Once close to extinction, bison populations have recovered due to prolonged conservation efforts and in 2016, the bison was made America’s national mammal.