US #3186d
1999 President Harry S. Truman – Celebrate the Century (1940s)
• Part of the fifth sheet in the Celebrate the Century stamp series issued from 1998-2000
• Honors President Harry S. Truman
• Includes text on the back with historical details
Stamp Category: Commemorative
Series: Celebrate the Century
Value: 32¢ First Class Mail Rate
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US #3186d
1999 President Harry S. Truman – Celebrate the Century (1940s)
• Part of the fifth sheet in the Celebrate the Century stamp series issued from 1998-2000
• Honors President Harry S. Truman
• Includes text on the back with historical details
Stamp Category: Commemorative
Series: Celebrate the Century
Value: 32¢ First Class Mail Rate
First Day of Issue: February 18, 1999
First Day City: Dobbins Air Force Base, Georgia
Quantity Issued: 188,000,000
Printed by: Ashton Potter (USA) Ltd.
Printing Method: Offset, Intaglio
Format: Panes of 15
Perforations: 11.5
Tagging: Block Tagging
Why the stamp was issued: To commemorate the accomplishments of our 33rd president of the United States in leading us through the end of World War II and beyond.
About the stamp design: Pictures a painting of Truman by Howard Koslow. Includes the following text on the back: “The 33rd president, Harry S. Truman, guided the nation through the end of World War II and the beginning of the Cold War. A sign, which reportedly sat on his desk in his office at the White House, read: ‘The BUCK STOPS here!’.”
First Day City: The First Day of Issue Ceremony was held at the Dobbins Air Force Base Fuel Cell Hangar in Georgia.
About the Celebrate the Century series: The USPS launched the Celebrate the Century series in 1998 to mark the end of the 20th century and herald the arrival of the 21st. The series includes 10 sheets of 15 stamps (150 in total), with each honoring important moments from a different decade (1900s, 10s, 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s). At the time of completion, it was the longest and most ambitious commemorative stamp series in US history.
History the stamp represents: Thrust into the presidency in 1945, Harry S. Truman (1884-1972) mae some of the most crucial decisions in US history. He ordered the dropping of atomic bombs to hasten Japan’s World War II surrender, broke the Soviet Union’s postwar blockade of West Berlin with an airlift, and drove back the Communist invasion of South Korea.
Born in Missouri, Truman had hoped to attend the US Military Academy at West Point, but his vision didn’t meet Army standards. After an unsuccessful career as a businessman, he decided to seek a career in politics.
A World War I veteran, Truman was elected to the US Senate in 1934. In 1944, President Franklin D. Roosevelt chose Truman to be his vice presidential running mate. The team won the election easily, but because of Roosevelt’s death soon after. Truman would serve as vice president for just 83 days. He became president on April 12, 1945.
Although polls predicted Thomas Dewey would win a landslide victory in the presidential election of 1948, Truman won two million more votes and 12 more states than his opponent. In one of the most embarrassing errors in newspaper history, the Chicago Daily Tribune prematurely reported a win by Dewey. “That’s one for the books,” Truman joked.
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