Celebrate the Century is a series of postage stamps made by the United States Postal Service featuring images recalling various important events in the 20th century in the United States.`Celebration Of The Century' Starts Feb. 3 And Will Last Two Years Sun Sentinel 7 December 1997 Ten of these sheets were issued, with each sheet depicting events of one decade of the 20th century, from the 1900s to 1990s.Monumental 'Celebrate the Century' Program Concludes With Postage Stamp Series Saluting the Decade of the 1990s PR Newswire 2 May 2000 Fifteen stamps were embedded into each sheet. For the first eight sheets (1900s to 1970s) of the fifteen stamps, one stamp of each sheet was printed using the intaglio process, while the remaining fourteen were offset printed along with the rest of the sheet. All the sheets were printed by the Ashton-Potter USA printing company.
Format These gummed souvenir sheets had an unusually large format of 7½"x9" (190mmx229mm). The top left hand corner sported the decade in a number format, the entire background of the sheet was devoted a specific event of that decade (e.g. the Wright brothers standing next to their Flyer II on the 1900s sheet.)
The fifteen stamps were printed at an angle of 8°,As measured the horizontal perforations ran from the stamps up to the edge of sheet. The stamps were arranged on the sheets in four rows, and nested in arrangements unique to each sheet. An area was devoted to the description of the decade as depicted by the stamps on it. The description of each stamp was printed on the gummed side of the sheet, behind each stamp.
The words Arts, Sports, Historical Events ran on the left hand edge, Technology, Entertainment, Science ran on the top edge, Political Figures, Life Style on the right hand edge of the sheet.
The stamp images for the first five sheets were selected by Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee and those for the remaining five sheets were selected by a nationwide poll.30 Commemoratives In Honor Of Century Philly.com 13 February 1998Public Gets A Chance To Select New Issues Philly.com 21 November 1997Cast your 'Celebrate the Century' vote Boca Raton News 8 March 1998
CTC Express
The CTC stamp program was publicised through an award-winningCtc Express Concludes Its Trek Across Nation Sun Sentinel 19 November 2000 travelling railway museum tour, named Celebrate the Century Express commissioned by the USPS consisting of a locomotive and three cars. Sun Sentinel 2 July 2000Commending the US Postal Service Congressional Record, V. 146, Pt. 7, May 24, 2000 to June 12, 2000 Page No 9356Only the Memories Remain The Railway Mail Clerk and the Highway Office Page 159 This train travelled for eighteen months from 11 March 1999 through fall 19 November 2000 throughout the continental US to showcase the mail to the US public. During its journey it travelled through 100 cities in 42 states and had more than 111,000 visitors including 6,000 children. The CTC Express consisted of an Amtrak P42 Genesis series diesel locomotive, an exhibit car featuring multimedia displays of US commemorative stamps, a restored Railway Mail Service car, a historic railroad business car, and a baggage car. The CTC Express received the U.S. Transportation Department's "Design for Transportation National Awards 2000," and the "TRANNY Award of Excellence" from the Transportation Marketing and Communications Association. On 25 May 2000 the US Congress commended the USPS for receiving these awards.
CTC Education Series The USPS with the US Department of Education and ten of the leading K–12 educational associations,Commemorative stamps series puts education first The Bryan Times – Aug 20, 1998 started the education program involving more than 300,000 students across the U.S. in a comprehensive, in-class curriculum program which would take students on a field trip through the decades of the 20th century.
The program kits were created for students from grades 3 to 6, and was available to teachers free of charge. Each kit included a teacher's guide, a student activity magazine, computer activities, internet linked sites, multimedia classroom visuals, school balloting for students and take home projects for children for parental participation. In a survey taken in 1999 of 20,000 educators,Celebrate the Century popular in class rooms Palo Verde Valley Times – Feb 26, 1999 it was revealed that the program was a big success.
The sheets
1900s Title: Dawn of the Twentieth Century. Date of issue: 3 February 1998. Denomination: 32¢ No of stamps in sheet: 15 The stamps: 1st row: Ford Model T; President Theodore Roosevelt; Movie Great Train Robbery; Crayola crayons; St. Louis World's FairCelebrate the Century: Search the Web for U.S. History of the 1900s Education World 16 July 2013 2nd row: Pure Food and Drug Act; Wright Flyer; Ashcan School 3rd row: Ellis Island; John Muir 4th row: Teddy bear; W. E. B. Du Bois; The Gibson Girl; 1903 World Series; Robie House Background image: The Wright brothers stand beside their Flyer II, near Dayton, Ohio. Intaglio stamp: The Gibson Girl created by illustrator Charles Dana Gibson.
Inspired by the teddy bear stamp on this sheet, the USPS in 2002 issued a set of four teddy bear stamps.2002 beat goes on Amarillo Global News 25 November 2001Postal Service releasing teddy bear stamps The Daily Courier – Sep 15, 2002
1910s Title: America Looks Beyond its Borders. Date of issue: 3 February 1998. Denomination: 32¢ No of stamps in sheet: 15 The stamps: 1st row: Charlie Chaplin;Celebrate the Century: Search the Web for U.S. History of the 1910s Education World 16 July 2013 Federal Reserve System; George Washington Carver 2nd row: 1913 Armory Show; Transcontinental telephone line; Panama Canal 3rd row: Jim Thorpe; Grand Canyon; I Want You; Boy Scouts of America; President Woodrow Wilson; 4th row: First Crossword puzzle; Jack Dempsey; Erector Set; Child Labor Reform Background image: Boy Scouts participate in a patriotic "Wake Up America" rally on New York City's Fifth Avenue. Intaglio stamp: Panama Canal.
The stamp commemorating Carver was the second issued by the US Postal Service, the first stamp had been issued in 1948.Carver's Agri-Revoloution, Julian's Forgotten Genius Encyclopedia of African American Popular Culture [Four Volumes] Page No 733
1920s Title: The Roaring Twenties. Date of issue: 28 May 1998. Denomination: 32¢ No of stamps in sheet: 15 The stamps: 1st row: Babe Ruth; Novel: The Great Gatsby; Prohibition; Toy trains; Women's suffrageCelebrate the Century: Search the Web for U.S. History of the 1920s Education World 16 July 2013 2nd row: Emily Post; Margaret Mead; John Held, Jr.; Radio; Chrysler Building 3rd row: Jazz; Notre Dame's Four Horsemen; Charles Lindbergh 4th row: Automat; Black Thursday Background image: Members of a dance troupe strike poses from the Charleston on a California beach during a break in the filming of a movie in 1926. Intaglio stamp: Charles Lindbergh.
1930s Title: Depression, Dust Bowl, and a New Deal. Date of issue: 9 October 1998. Denomination: 32¢ No of stamps in sheet: 15 The stamps: 1st row: Franklin D. Roosevelt; Empire State Building; Life Magazine; Eleanor Roosevelt; New Deal ProgramCelebrate the Century: Search the Web for U.S. History of the 1930s Education World 16 July 2013 2nd row: Superman; Household Conveniences; movie: Snow White; novel: Gone with the Wind; Jesse Owens 3rd row: 20th Century Limited; Golden Gate Bridge; Florence Owens Thompson 4th row: Bobby Jones; Monopoly Background image: A farmer and two sons flee a dust storm in Cimarron County, Oklahoma in April 1936. Intaglio stamp: Empire State Building
The Gone with the Wind stamp is the second issued by the USPS, the first was issued on 30 June 1930, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the sale of the book with a 1¢ stamp featuring its author Margaret Mitchell.Awards and Recognition Gone With The Wind The photo of Florence Owens Thompson, taken by photographer Dorothea Lange and titled Migrant Mother (1936), is an iconic image of the Great Depression.Depression's 'Migrant Mother' remains a powerful image Tampa Bay Times 10 May 2008
1940s Title: World War II Transforms America. Date of issue: 18 February 1999. Denomination: 33¢ No of stamps in sheet: 15 The stamps: 1st row: World War II; Antibiotics; Jackie RobinsonCelebrate the Century: Search the Web for U.S. History of the 1940s Education World 16 July 2013 2nd row: President Harry S. Truman; Women support war effort; Television 3rd row: Jitterbug; Jackson Pollock; G. I. Bill; Big band; United Nations 4th row: Baby boom; Slinky; A Streetcar Named Desire; Citizen Kane Background image: A landing party of United States Marines storm a beach on Saipan, a Japanese stronghold in the Mariana Islands in 1944. Intaglio stamp: United Nations.
1950s Title: Family Fun, Suburbia, and Nuclear Threats. Date of issue: 26 May 1999. Denomination: 33¢ No of stamps in sheet: 15 The stamps: 1st row: Polio vaccine; Teen Fashion; 1951 National League; Explorer I; Korean WarCelebrate the Century: Search the Web for U.S. History of the 1950s Education World 16 July 2013 2nd row: Desegregating public schools; Car tailfin; The Cat in the Hat 3rd row: Drive-in theater; New York Yankees vs Brooklyn Dodgers 1949 – 1956 4th row: Rocky Marciano; I Love Lucy; Rock and roll; Daytona 500; 3D movies Background image: Family in front of a television set. Intaglio stamp: Polio vaccine.
The stamp on Lucille Ball was the first to be issued commemorating the actress.U S Postage Stamps Lucy A to Z: The Lucille Ball Encyclopedia Page 376 This was soon followed by another stamp on 7 August 2001 which was part of the Legends of Hollywood series.
1960s Title: The Rebellious Sixties and Man on the Moon. Date of issue: 17 September 1999. Denomination: 33¢ No of stamps in sheet: 15 The stamps: 1st row: Martin Luther King; Woodstock Music and Art Fair; Moon landing; Green Bay Packers; Star TrekCelebrate the Century: Search the Web for U.S. History of the 1960s Education World 16 July 2013 2nd row: Peace Corps; Vietnam War; Ford Mustang; Barbie; Integrated circuit 3rd row: Laser; AFL-NFL; Peace symbol 4th row: Roger Maris; The Beatles Background image: Astronaut Buzz Aldrin sets up seismic equipment to record lunar tremors. Intaglio stamp: Buzz Aldrin's lunar foot print.
1970s Title: Bicentennial, Watergate, and Earth Day. Date of issue: 18 November 1999. Denomination: 33¢ No of stamps in sheet: 15 The stamps: 1st row: Earth Day; All in the Family; Sesame StreetCelebrate the Century: Search the Web for U.S. History of the 1970s Education World 16 July 2013 2nd row: Disco; Pittsburgh Steelers; United States Bicentennial 3rd row: Secretariat – Horse of the Year; Videocassette recorder, Pioneer 10; Women's Rights Movement by UNIFEM; 1970s fashion 4th row: ABC's Monday Night Football; Smiley face; Boeing 747; Medical imaging In 1999, the U.S. Postal Service honored Secretariat with a 33-cent U.S. postage stamp entitled "Secretariat Wins Triple Crown" in the Celebrate the Century (1970s) series. The national unveiling ceremony was held in the winner's circle at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Kentucky on Saturday, October 16, 1999. On Thursday, November 18, 1999, the First Day of Issue ceremony was held at the Postage Stamp Mega-event at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City, New York. The stamp was issued to celebrate Secretariat and his iconic 1973 Triple Crown victory. The following text is in the packet: “Secretariat Wins Triple Crown" – In 1972, two-year-old Secretariat was named Horse of the Year. In 1973, he won the coveted Triple Crown, including the only less-than-two-minute Kentucky Derby victory and a 31-length Belmont Stakes triumph."