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.