Stamp album

A stamp album is a book, often loose-leafed (to allow for expansion), in which a collection of postage stamps may be stored and displayed

Albums are the nearly universal means for keeping stamps, used for both beginners' and world-class collections, and it is common to characterise the size of a collection by its number of albums.

The arrangement of stamps on an album page depends on the taste of the collector and the purpose of the collection. A collection with "one of each" stamp may have rows of stamps packed onto each page, while a specialist's page might have a dozen examples of the same type of stamp, each captioned with a description of printing details or colour shades. Traditional page creation was done by hand with pen and ink; in recent years page layout software and computer printers have become popular. AlbumEasy, available free, for Windows, Mac and Linux, is an example of one of the many page layout programs.

A stamp album is a book, often loose-leafed (to allow for expansion), in which a collection of postage stamps may be stored and displayed. Many collectors buy preprinted albums and pages, which are produced by several manufacturers. The gamut ranges from worldwide albums, with only enough spaces for the common stamps and a few more, to one-country albums with spaces for every type of stamp known. The usual format is to print a black-and-white picture of the stamp in each space, reduced in size so that a real stamp will cover it up, and add a thin frame around the stamp. Captions range from minimal mentions of perforation or watermark, up to a paragraph giving a little background on the stamp's subject. Album pages are almost always one-sided; two-sided pages save space, but require interleaving sheets to prevent stamps from catching on each other. Pre-printed albums come in various formats where the collector can mount a used stamp with a hinge, create a pocket for the individual stamp using a pre-cut mount to stick to the page, or the easiest type called a "hingeless album" system where the pre-printed album page includes a place to put your postage stamp.

One of the first albums was the Stanley Gibbons “V.R.” published in the early 1870s. This was followed by the “Improved”, and then the illustrated “Imperial” albums. Present-day makers include Safe, Lighthouse (Leuchturm), Lindner, Palo, Scott, and White Ace. Once collectors have started using a particular brand, they have a strong incentive to stay with it, and the manufacturers offer annual updates for the stamps issued during the previous year.

In the earliest albums, stamps were adhered to the pages, using either their own gum (as if put on an envelope) or glue. Stamp hinges were introduced soon after, allowing stamps to be removed without major damage to either the stamp or the album page. In the second half of the 20th century, stamp mounts were introduced. Mounts typically hold the stamp between two layers of plastic, with the front layer transparent, and are attached to an album page, allowing the stamp to be displayed without an adhesive touching the stamp. When properly used, mounts allow the stamp to be removed from the album in the same condition in which it was inserted. An album in which the mounts are affixed at the factory, either as mounts for individual stamps or as larger strips, is called "hingeless".

Source : Wikipedia

10 July - Statehood Day Wyoming, USA

Wyoming, constituent state of the United States of America. Wyoming became the 44th state of the union on July 10, 1890. It ranks 10th among the 50 U.S. states in terms of total area. It shares boundaries with six other Great Plains and Mountain states: Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Colorado to the south, Utah to the southwest, and Idaho to the west. Cheyenne, the capital, is located in the southeastern corner of the state.
The word Wyoming is derived from a Delaware word meaning “land of vast plains,” an apt description of the state’s spacious natural environment, which is home to nearly as many pronghorn as people.

09 July - Philip V of Spain death in 1746

Philip V (19 December 1683 – 9 July 1746) was King of Spain from 1 November 1700 to his abdication in favour of his son Louis on 14 January 1724, and then again from his reaccession to the throne upon his son's death, on 6 September 1724, to his own death on 9 July 1746.

Before his reign, Philip occupied an exalted place in the royal family of France as a grandson of King Louis XIV. His father, Louis, Grand Dauphin, had the strongest genealogical claim to the throne of Spain when it became vacant in 1700. However, since neither the Grand Dauphin nor Philip's older brother, Louis, Duke of Burgundy, could be displaced from the succession to the French throne, the Grand Dauphin's maternal uncle (Philip's granduncle) King Charles II of Spain named Philip as his heir in his will. It was well known that the union of France and Spain under one monarch would upset the balance of power in Europe, and that other European powers would take steps to prevent it. Indeed, Philip's accession in Spain provoked the 13-year War of the Spanish Succession, which continued until the Treaty of Utrecht forbade any future possibility of unifying the French and Spanish crowns while confirming his accession to the throne of Spain.

Philip was the first member of the House of Bourbon to rule as King of Spain. The sum of his two reigns, 45 years and 21 days, is the longest in modern Spanish history.

09 July - Arbor Day (Cambodia)

Arbor Day is a holiday in which individuals and groups are encouraged to plant and care for trees. Cambodia celebrates the arbor day on 9th of July each year. Here is a stamp issued by the Kingdom of Cambodia on July 22, 1966 to celebrate the Arbor Day. 

First Arbor Day in the world :

The Spanish village of Mondoñedo held the first documented arbor plantation festival in the world organized by its mayor in 1594. The place remains as Alameda de los Remedios and it is still planted with lime and horse-chestnut trees. A humble granite marker and a bronze plate recall the event. 

Additionally, the small Spanish village of Villanueva de la Sierra held the first modern Arbor Day, an initiative launched in 1805 by the local priest with the enthusiastic support of the entire population.

09 July - South Sudan independent in 2011

The Republic of South Sudan became independent on 9 July 2011 from Sudan and issued its first stamps on 13 July 2011. Only almost three months later, on 4 October 2011, did South Sudan become a member of the Universal Postal Union (UPU).Before independence, South Sudan used stamps issued by Sudan. The Directorate of Postal Services of the Ministry of Telecommunication and Postal Services is responsible for postal affairs in South Sudan

In the first months after Independence of South Sudan on 9 July 2011 and the start of selling of their own first stamps of the Republic of South Sudan to the public a few days later, the South Sudan postal authorities were also still selling their stock of stamps of Sudan, resulting in covers with mixed franking.

09 July - Sanjeev Kumar birth anniversary

Sanjeev Kumar (born Harihar Jethalal Jariwala; (9 July 1938 – 6 November 1985) was an Indian film actor. He won several major awards including two National Film Awards for Best Actor for his performances in the movies Dastak (1970) and Koshish (1972). He acted in genres ranging from romantic dramas to thrillers. Kumar did not mind playing roles that were non-glamorous, such as characters well beyond his age. Movies such as Arjun Pandit, Sholay and Trishul, along with the remakes of Tamil films into Hindi such as Khilona, Yehi Hai Zindagi, Naya Din Nai Raat, Devata, Itni Si Baat and Ram Tere Kitne Naam exemplify his talents. He also did suspense-thriller films such as Qatl, Shikar, Uljhan and Trishna. Kumar also proved his ability to do comedy in films such as Manchali, Pati Patni Aur Woh, Angoor, Biwi-O-Biwi and Hero. He is well remembered for his versatility and genuine portrayal of his characters. His double role in the film Angoor was listed among the 25 best acting performances of Indian cinema by Forbes India on the occasion of celebrating 100 years of Indian Cinema.

A postage stamp bearing his likeness was released by India Post to honour him on 3 May 2013.

09 July - Guru Dutt birth anniversary

Vasanth Kumar Shivashankar Padukone (9 July 1925 – 10 October 1964), better known as Guru Dutt, was an Indian film director, producer and actor. He made 1950s and 1960s classics such as Pyaasa, Kaagaz Ke Phool, Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam and Chaudhvin Ka Chand. In particular, Pyaasa and Kaagaz Ke Phool have been included among the greatest films of all time, Pyaasa by Time magazine's "All-TIME" 100 best movies list and by the 2002 Sight & Sound critics' and directors' poll,where Dutt himself is included among the greatest film directors of all time.

In 2010, he was included among CNN's "top 25 Asian actors of all time".

He is most famous for making lyrical and artistic films within the context of popular Hindi cinema of the 1950s, and expanding its commercial conventions, starting with his 1957 film Pyaasa. Several of his later works have a cult following. His movies attract full houses when re-released; especially in Germany, France and Japan.

A postage stamp featuring Dutt was released by India Post on 10 October 2004.

08 July - Chandra Shekhar Singh death anniversary

Chandra Shekhar Singh (17 April 1927 – 8 July 2007) was an Indian politician who served as the eighth Prime Minister of India, between 10 November 1990 and 21 June 1991. He headed a minority government of a breakaway faction of the Janata Dal with outside support from the Indian National Congress as a stop gap arrangement to delay elections.He is the first Indian Prime Minister who has never held any Government office.His government was largely seen as a "puppet"and "lame duck" and the government was formed with the fewest party MPs in the Lok Sabha.His government could not pass the budget at a crucial time when Moody had downgraded India and it further went down after the budget was not passed and global credit-rating agencies further downgraded India from investment grade making it impossible to even get short-term loans and in no position to give any commitment to reform, the World Bank and IMF stopped their assistance. Chandrasekhar had to authorise mortgaging of gold to avoid default of payment and this action came in for particular criticism as it was done secretly in the midst of the election.The Indian economic crisis, 1991, and the Assassination of Rajiv Gandhi plunged his government into crisis.

Chandra Shekhar died on 8 July 2007, a week after his 80th birthday. He had been suffering with multiple myeloma for some time and had been in the Apollo Hospital at New Delhi since May.

08 July - Umaid Singh born in 1903

Umaid Singh (8 July 1903 – 9 June 1947), was Maharaja of Jodhpur from 1918 to his death.

The second son of Maharaja Sir Sardar Singh, he succeeded his elder brother Maharaja Sir Sumair Singh upon his death in 1918; in 1922 he served as the aide-de-camp to the Prince of Wales (later Edward VIII). Ruling under the regency of his granduncle until 1923, he was then formally invested as Maharaja by Lord Reading. During his reign, Sir Umaid Singh reformed and reorganised the Jodhpur State Forces and the judicial department, introduced a scheme for extending primary education, revised the land revenue settlement and established state pensions and a Provident Fund for state employees. Enjoying a distinguished military career, he died at his estate on Mount Abu on 9 June 1947 after a reign of 29 years, aged but 43.

07 July - World Chocolate Day

World Chocolate Day seeks to promote the consumption of chocolate. Chocolate contains antioxidants and can improve your cardiovascular health. The neccessary main ingredient of chocolate is Cacoa which comes from beans from the cacao tree. It takes roughly 400 cocoa beans to make one pound of Chocolate. Chocolate is the most popular sweet treat in the world.