U.S. #5410
2019 55¢ Tyrannosaurus Rex – Hatchling
Value: 55¢ 1-ounce First-class rate (Forever)
Issue Date: August 29, 2019
First Day City: Washington, DC
Type of Stamp: Commemorative
Printed by: Banknote Corporation of America
Printing Method: Flexo, Lenticular
Format: Pane of 16
Self-Adhesive
Quantity Printed: 50,000,000
The Tyrannosaurus rex (T. rex) has long been a creature of interest for the human race. Some Native Americans thought this dinosaur's fossils were from a legendary creature and would burn the bones in hopes their wishes would be granted. It was not until the 20th century that scientists discovered T. rex and began officially studying it.
Paleontologist Barnum Brown found the first partial specimen of a T. rex in 1900 in eastern Wyoming. Two years later, Brown found a much more complete skeleton in the Hell Creek Formation in Montana. Brown's discoveries drew other paleontologists to T. rex, and soon the study of this new species exploded.
Through the years, over 50 T. rex skeletons have been found around the world. As paleontologists studied these specimens, new theories were developed and old theories discarded. For example, as late as the 1970s, it was thought T. rex walked upright with its tail on the ground. Scientists eventually realized this would have been impossible for a living animal to achieve, and introduced T. rex's more horizontal posture.
There are plenty more T. rex secrets paleontologists have yet to discover. To think, each new fossil dig could hold the answers we've all been waiting for!.
The American Museum Of Natural History Is Established
On April 6, 1869, the American Museum of Natural History is established in New York City.
The museum was largely the dream of naturalist Dr. Albert S. Bickmore. For several years, Bickmore lobbied extensively for the creation of a natural history museum in New York.
In 1869, Bickmore gained the support of several wealthy sponsors, including Theodore Roosevelt, Sr. (father of future President Theodore Roosevelt), J.P. Morgan, and Charles A. Dana. With their strong support, Bickmore gained New York Governor John Thompson Hoffman’s approval. The governor signed a bill officially establishing the museum on April 6, 1869. That same year, John David Wolfe is made the museum’s first president.
In 1871, exhibits from the museum go on display for the first time at the Central Park Arsenal. By the following year, the museum already began to outgrow its space at the Arsenal, so its leaders petitioned for a larger space – Manhattan Square. The new property encompassed an entire block across the street from Central Park. While the approved funding only covered a small building, the project’s architects planned a massive museum covering the entire site.
In 1874, President Ulysses S. Grant laid the cornerstone for the new building at 77th Street. Three years later, President Rutherford B. Hayes presided over the opening ceremony of the first building.
Beginning in the 1880s, the museum launched a series of expeditions to the North Pole, Siberia, Outer Mongolia, Gobi, and the Congo. These expeditions helped greatly expand their collections to represent every continent on Earth.
Throughout the 20th century, the museum expanded significantly with exhibits featuring a wide range of topics. These include Halls dedicated to the Northwest Coast, African Mammals, South Asiatic Mammals, Ocean Life, North American Mammals (which is home to some of the finest habitat dioramas in the world), African mammals, American Forests, North American Small Mammals, Primates, Eastern Woodlands Indians, Plains Indians, African Peoples, Mexico and Central America, Pacific Peoples, Minerals, Reptiles and Amphibians, Asian People, Meteorites, South American Peoples, Human Biology and Evolution, Primitive Mammals, Advanced Mammals, Saurischian Dinosaurs, Ornithischian Dinosaurs, Vertebrate Origins, Biodiversity, Planet Earth, and Human Origins.
The museum also opened its famed Hayden Planetarium in 1935. And in 1991, the museum installed a five-story tall Barosaurus cast, which was the world’s highest freestanding dinosaur display. In 2006 the movie A Night at the Museum was set in the museum. This inspired them to start holding Night at the Museum Sleepovers for children and their families.
Today the museum is one of the largest natural history museums in the world. It consists of 26 buildings and 45 permanent exhibition halls containing over 34 million items. The museum has one mission statement: “To discover, interpret, and disseminate – through scientific research and education – knowledge about human cultures, the natural world, and the universe.”