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American Scientists

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1-cent John James Audubon single

From April 8 through April 26, 1940, the Post Office Department honored five American scientists with its fourth group of the Famous Americans Series. The icon used on each stamp is unique to the branch of science represented by the honoree, whereas in the other six groups, the same icon was used for all five stamps.

In 1940, when the first-class postage rate was three cents, the only way to receive an official first-day cover of the 1-cent Audubon stamp was to apply three 1-cent stamps to a cover. Further, one of the stamps on a one-cent post card, the official rate for post and postal cards at the time, would not be permitted to be postmarked as a First Day of Issue item.

As with all seven groups, the honorees appear in birth order, with the oldest person appearing on the 1-cent and the youngest on the 10-cent. John James Audubon, born on April 26, 1785, appears first stamp, and Jane Addams, born on September 6, 1860, appears on the last. Addams was one of only two women selected to be honored in this thirty-five-stamp series.

The POD's decision to include Jane Addams, a social worker from Chicago, in the American Scientists issues stirred considerable controversy because the idea of the 'Social Sciences' was unfamiliar to the public. The public debated the names selected for the scientists group more heatedly than it did the other six groups. The contention sparked a national discussion that asked, "What is a scientist?"

Steven J. Rod

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1-cent John James Audubon single

The 1-cent Famous American Scientists stamp, issued April 8, 1940, honors John James Audubon (1785-1851). Audubon, though born in Haiti and raised in France, spent his adult life in the United States and is generally considered America's foremost American wildlife artist. His "Birds of America" is a standard for bird illustrations and is still in print in various forms. Audubon was an avid hunter, often seeking out and shooting the birds to use as models for his paintings. He also performed research and is credited with conducting the first bird banding experiment.

Gordon T. Trotter

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2-cent Crawford W. Long single

The 2-cent Famous American Scientists stamp issued April 8, 1940 features Dr. Crawford W. Long (1815-1878). A physician in rural Georgia, Dr. Long was the first to use sulphuric ether as a surgical anesthetic. He had experienced recreational use of ether while in medical school, observing that users felt no pain from injuries sustained during the episode. After using ether successfully on a number of his patients, he published the results, which led to the medical profession's widespread use of this general anesthesia.

Gordon T. Trotter

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3-cent Luther Burbank single

Luther Burbank (1849-1926) appears on the 3-cent Famous American Scientists stamp, issued April 17, 1940. Burbank conducted extensive plant-breeding experiments for the purpose of improving plant quality and thereby increasing the world's food supply. He introduced more than eight hundred new varieties of plants, including over two hundred varieties of fruit, many vegetables, nuts and grains, and hundreds of ornamental flowers.

Gordon T. Trotter

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5-cent ultramarine Walter Reed single

The 5-cent Famous American Scientists stamp, issued April 17, 1940, commemorates Dr. Walter Reed (1851-1902). A U. S. Army physician, Reed took a special interest in contagious and infectious diseases. He participated in research that linked flies to the spread of typhoid fever. When placed in charge of research on yellow fever, the principal cause of death of American soldiers in Cuba, he observed that family members and caregivers of yellow fever patients often did not contract the disease. He speculated that it might be spread by mosquitoes and performed experiments involving controlled exposure to the insects that proved the theory. A subsequent program of mosquito eradication led to the eventual minimization of the disease.

Gordon T. Trotter

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10-cent Jane Addams single

Jane Addams (1860-1935) is honored on the 10-cent Famous American Scientists stamp issued April 26, 1940. With her friend Ellen Gates Starr, Addams founded Chicago's Hull-House in 1889. Hull-House inspired the nation's settlement house movement, which provided crucial social services in poor and working-class neighborhoods. She was also the first president of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, serving from 1919-1929. Addams received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1931, the first American woman to receive this honor. Though involved in many Progressive-era reform movements, her gravestone in Cedarville, Illinois, simply reads: Jane Addams of Hull-House and the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom. Clearly, she considered these her life's greatest achievements.

Gordon T. Trotter

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