Sunday Stamps K3 - Canada, Hungary, Netherlands

I've watched the Detroit Pistons (once, when my camera's battery needed charging) and am kept informed every year on how the Detroit Lions are performing. Of course I've heard of the Stanley Cup and how the Redwings get on and whom this man on a Canadian stamp joined when he was only 19 years old back in 1947.

Canada - 3 October 2014

Apparently we became one of the 'Original Six' in ice hockey - I have still to find out who the others are and what's behind the name.

When it comes to protected birds this is one of my favourites and one I used to see regularly as a boy about the time that Red Kelly began to play for the Redwings.

Hungary - 27 June 1991
Kingfisher

We can sometimes see a bird of prey over the fields outside our village - it's quite easy to see why it is sometimes called a windhover. How would you feel if it had these eyes fixed on you?

Netherlands - 5 September 1995
Blauwe kiekendief (Kestrel)

To prey on other 'K' stamps fly over to Seeitonapostcard.Sunday Stamps - K

Sunday Stamps - J3 - USA

Back in the 1940s and 1950s I travelled to school by train. I've forgotten when I first heard a rail related song - it must have been this - 

However I had left school by then. Casey had become a railroad hero in the early 1900s. Driving a train for a friend who was ill he died in a crash in 1900 when two freight trains had blocked the track. However Casey saved the lives of his crew and passengers.

In 1950 he appeared on a stamp along with locomotives from 1900 and 1950.

USA - 29 April 1950

Continuing the railroad theme I found a locomotive from 1932.

USA - 1 October 1987

Brother Jonathan had a single pair of drive wheels and a four-wheeled swivel truck under the front of the locomotive. in the 1832 experiment by John B Jervis this design enabled the engine to negotiate most curves with ease and made it capable of much higher speeds.

Other 'J' related stamps may be seen by speeding over to Sunday-stamps-j 

Sunday Stamps - I3 Czechoslovakia, Great Britain

A scarce swallowtail butterfly is my first stamp this week.

Czechoslovakia - 23 May 1966
Iphiclides podalirius

Other names for iphiclides podalirius are sail swallowtail and pear tree swallowtail.

1978 was the year for the 25th Anniversary of the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth when she was crowned with the - 

Great Britain - 31 May 1978
Imperial State Crown

The Queen also wears this crown at the annual State Opening of Parliament.

In 1841 Sir Richard Owen coined the word dinosaur from two Greek words - deinos (terrible, powerful, wondrous) and sauros (lizard). Owen was also responsible for setting up what we now know as the Natural History Museum.

Great Britain - 20 August 1991
150th Anniversary of Owen's Dinosaurs
Iguanodon

For other 'I' stamps check out the links at Sunday-Stamps-i.

Sunday Stamps H3 - USA, Germany

It was a musical that gave me the idea for my first stamp this week, not that I am likely to see it.

USA - 11 January 1957
200th anniversary of death

The first stamp to honour Hamilton was issued in 1870 and was the first to honour a Secretary of State. One of the Founding Fathers of the USA he died the day after a duel with Aaron Burr. In 1804 Burr had taken offence to Hamilton calling him unworthy to become governor of New York State.

The building on the stamp is the then Federal Hall in New York on the steps of which George Washington had been sworn in as the first President of the USA.

Another Alexander who I knew little about was the German who has had an ocean current and penguins name after him.

Germany - 6 May 1959
100th Anniversary of his death

The low salinity ocean current running up the west coast of South America is named after the geographer and explorer Alexander von Humboldt (1769 - 1859). Humboldt was the first person, as long ago as 1800 and 1831 to describe climate change and its cause by human influence based on his observations during his voyages.

However it's the Humboldt penguins where I first heard his name.

The second President of the Weimar Republic was - 

Germany - Paul von Hindenburg

Hindenburg was a field marshall and leader of the German land forces in WWI. Hitler respected him until his death in 1934 despite the President having refused to appoint him Chancellor. 

For other 'H' related stamps cross over to Sunday-stamps-h.