[Wikipedia Daily Article] August 14: Postage stamps of Ireland

[Faraaz Damji]

   Postage stamps of Ireland are the postage stamps issued by the postal
   authority of the independent Irish state.  Ireland was part of the
   United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland when the world's first
   postage stamps were issued in 1840.  These stamps, and all subsequent
   British issues, were used in Ireland until the new Irish Government
   assumed power in 1922.  Beginning on 17 February 1922, existing British
   stamps were overprinted with Irish text to provide some definitives
   until separate Irish issues became available.  Following the
   overprints, a regular series of definitive stamps was produced by the
   new Department of Posts and Telegraphs, using domestic designs.  These
   definitives were issued on 6 December 1922; the first was a 2d stamp,
   depicting a map of Ireland.  Since then new images, and additional
   values as needed, have produced a total of nine series of definitives.
   These were the major stamp production for everyday use.  Commemorative
   stamps first appeared in 1929, and these now appear several times a
   year, celebrating many aspects of Irish life, such as notable events
   and anniversaries, Irish life and culture, and many famous Irish
   people.  Some definitive and commemorative stamps have been produced in
   miniature sheet, booklet and coil configurations in addition to the
   common sheet layout.

Read the rest of this article:
   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Postage_stamps_of_Ireland


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Today's selected anniversaries:

1385:
   Forces under João I defeated the Castilians in the Battle of
   Aljubarrota, ending the 1383–1385 Crisis in Portugal.
   (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Aljubarrota)

1842:
   Seminole Indians were forced from Florida to Oklahoma, ending the
   Second Seminole War.
   (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seminole_Wars)

1941:
   After a secret meeting aboard warships in a secure anchorage near
   Argentia, Newfoundland, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and
   U.S. President Franklin D.  Roosevelt issued the Atlantic Charter,
   establishing a vision for a post-World War II world despite the fact
   that the United States had yet to enter the war.
   (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlantic_Charter)

1994:
   Leftist revolutionary and mercenary Ilich Ramírez Sánchez, known as
   Carlos the Jackal, was handed over to French agents by his own
   bodyguards.
   (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlos_the_Jackal)

2005:
   Helios Airways Flight 522 crashed into a mountain north of Marathon
   and Varnava, Greece, killing all 121 on board.
   (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helios_Airways_Flight_522)


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Wiktionary's Word of the day:

   synopsis: A brief summary of the major points of a written work,
   either as prose or as a table; an abridgment or condensation of a
   work.
   (http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/synopsis)


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Wikiquote of the day:

   It's always worth while before you do anything to consider whether
   it's going to hurt another person more than is absolutely necessary.
   -- John Galsworthy
   (http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/John_Galsworthy)