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We know today is April Fools' Day - traditionally a day of saying one thing and really meaning another. We did not actually intend to fool our devoted friends and followers with the news of our Wake Up Call airing this past Friday. We were fooled! We will be airing this exuberant piece early in the morning of Wednesday, April 3 - still 4:30 am - 7:00 am on WCVB-TV. We aren't kidding! And we are so excited! Let us know if you saw it and what you thought of it! And have an extra coffee that morning!
Hey, what is April Fools' Day Anyway?
Some historians speculate that April Fools' Day dates back to 1582, when France switched from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar, as called for by the Council of Trent in 1563. In the Julian Calendar, as in the Hindu calendar, the new year began with the spring equinox around April 1.
People who were slow to get the news or failed to recognize that the start of the new year had moved to January 1 and continued to celebrate it during the last week of March through April 1 became the butt of jokes and hoaxes and were called “April fools.” These pranks included having paper fish placed on their backs and being referred to as “poisson d’avril” (April fish), said to symbolize a young, easily caught fish and a gullible person.
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What else happens in April?
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KING CHARLES POSTAGE STAMP:
A NEW LOOK
An April 4 issue from Great Britain’s Royal Mail includes five definitive stamps featuring the image of King Charles III. Four nondenominated stamps are issued as a set, with an additional £2.20 stamp for a new international rate taking effect April 3.
Postage stamps featuring King Charles III’s face are now on sale to the British public. But while the introduction of new stamps to mark a new monarch is a nearly two-century-old tradition, the latest are a significant break from the past. That’s at least in one key respect: none of the stamps include a crown.
King Charles expressed his preference for a simple image that is more contemporary. The Queen wore a diadem and the image of her was internationally recognized. In a different age, the King has wisely chosen a more human image. He wished for no embellishment at all - no crown, just the face of the human being, on a simple background, as if to say "I am at your service."
The first and second class definitive stamps, produced by Britain’s Royal Mail in a range of colors, depict the soon-to-be-coronated King from his left-side profile. This visual tradition dates back to the world’s first adhesive postage stamp featuring Queen Victoria, which we all know is the Penny Black stamp, which went on sale in 1840.
What is a "definitive stamp"?
A definitive stamp is a postage stamp that is part of the regular issue of a country's stamps, available for sale by the post office for an extended period of time. The term is used in contrast to a "provisional stamp," one that is issued for a temporary period until regular stamps are available, or a "commemorative stamp," -- one issued to honor a person or mark a special event -- available only for a limited time. A definitive issue or series includes stamps in a range of denominations sufficient to cover current postal rates. An "issue" generally means a set that is put on sale all at the same time, while a "series" is spread out over several years. Additional stamps in a series may be produced as needed by changes in postal rates; nevertheless some values may be permanently available, regardless of prevailing rates.
Below - Queen Elizabeth II stamps issued in 2022
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The U.S. Postal Service unveiled the design of a commemorative stamp celebrating the life of former First Lady Betty Ford at the White House. The design was shared by First Lady Jill Biden, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy and Susan Ford Bales, the daughter of former President Gerald R. Ford and former First lady Betty Ford.
The stamp art is a detail from the official 1977 White House portrait by Felix de Cossio showing Betty Ford dressed in a pale blue chiffon dress.
The dedication ceremony for the stamp will take place on April 5 − three days before what would have been her 106th birthday − at the Annenberg Health Sciences Building located at Eisenhower Health in Rancho Mirage, California.
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Our friends at the USPS are marking the 50th anniversary of Dungeons & Dragons, the iconic fantasy roleplaying game that has become a cultural phenomenon.
This pane of 20 stamps features 10 different designs that highlight characters, creatures, and encounters familiar to players of D&D.
A bronze dragon wearing a necklace glances down at a blue plesiosaur; the five-headed Tiamat, queen of evil dragons, appears poised for an encounter; a lone figure appears lost in a maze; a blue-robed figure casts a “magic missile” spell; the archlich Acererak raises an army of the dead; Drizzt Do’Urden, the heroic drow ranger featured in dozens of novels and numerous D&D gaming materials since 1988, stands against a wintry backdrop.
This game, loved by millions worldwide, grew out of a small subculture of gaming clubs in the 1960s and 1970s whose members played tabletop simulations of historic battles with miniature figures.
Published in 1974, the first version of D&D consisted of three pamphlets in a cardboard box.
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HOW MUCH DO YOU KNOW
ABOUT BETTY FORD?
Betty Ford was born April 8, 1918, in Chicago, and died July 8, 2011 in Rancho Mirage, California. She was the wife of Gerald Ford, 38th president of the United States—and founder of the Betty Ford Center, a facility dedicated to helping people recover from drug and alcohol dependence. She was noted for her strong opinions on public issues and her honesty regarding intimate matters.
She was born Betty Bloomer -- the only daughter of William Bloomer, a salesman, and Hortense Neahr Bloomer. When she was two years old, the family, including her two older brothers, moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan, where she attended public schools. At age eight she started dance lessons, reflecting an interest that she would maintain throughout her life. To earn spending money, she taught dance to other children. After graduating from high school in 1936, she spent two summers pursuing a dance career on the East Coast.
She studied at Bennington College in Vermont, where she came under the influence of the legendary modern dancer, teacher, and choreographer Martha Graham. As Betty later wrote, Graham “more than anyone else…shaped my life.” When Graham accepted her into her New York City troupe, Betty moved to Manhattan’s West Side. To augment her meager earnings as a dancer, she modeled with the John Robert Powers agency. Although she never became a principal dancer, Betty performed as one of Graham’s auxiliaries and delighted in the modern dance technique that had become Graham’s trademark.
Betty always had a reputation for candor, but she later said that the circumstances under which she became first lady underscored that quality. She knew that, in the wake of the Watergate scandal, Americans demanded more honesty from their public officials.
Just weeks after she moved into the White House, her doctors performed a mastectomy to treat her breast cancer. Previous presidents’ wives had concealed their illnesses, especially those unique to women, but she and her husband decided to disclose the facts. Moved by her example, women all across the nation went to their physicians for examinations; Betty said it was then that she recognized the first lady’s enormous power to make a difference. Although chemotherapy followed, she continued to perform her duties as first lady.
she was awarded a Presidential Medal of Freedom by U.S. President George H.W. Bush for her efforts to promote public awareness and treatment of alcohol and drug addiction; she and Gerald Ford received a Congressional Gold Medal in 1999.
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Oh and her husband Gerald R. Ford
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HAVE YOU SIGNED UP TO ATTEND
OUR AMAZING EVENTS UPCOMING?
All Ages Welcome! Free for Members
Saturday, April 13
11:00 AM - Noon
Joys of Nature - Live Animal Presentation
$10 for non members
Want to attend? RSVP or ask us any questions!
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YOU MAY NOT BE AWARE....
We offer an "Ambassador" level membership! For a mere $150 per year, you get all of the amazing benefits of being a part of the museum family including free entry always and especially free at all of our events. In addition, you have entry into the more than 1300 museums in North America in the NARM system. Join or upgrade today!
Membership
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The USPS issued this 37-cent American Choreographers commemorative stamp on May 4, 2004, in Newark, New Jersey. Ethel Kessler of Bethesda, Maryland, designed the stamps. The stamp is one of a set of four honoring extraordinary choreographers -- George Balanchine, Martha Graham, Agnes de Mille, and Alvin Ailey. Each left a profound mark on the language of dance. Each stamp contains a collage that features a photographic portrait of the choreographer. Some of the stamps also show members of the choreographer's company dancing.
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APRIL BIRTHSTONE: DIAMOND
APRIL FLOWER: DAISY AND SWEET PEA
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The Spellman Museum is a
treasured resource, locally and nationally, and beyond!
As a 501(c)3 support-driven entity, we appreciate all forms of support.
If you have a collection to be evaluated, feel free to call or email Joseph Mullin, Public Affairs Director, to arrange the visit.
He can be reached at 781-768-8367.
If you'd like to support the museum with a donation, please visit spellmanmuseum.org
If you'd like to visit the Museum, simply stop by Thursdays - Sundays, noon - 5pm. Or, feel free to call to schedule a private tour.
We joyfully welcome all!
Plus we are really fun!
781-768-8367
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YOUTH AND SENIOR MEMBERSHIPS ARE MORE
AND MORE POPULAR!
The Museum continues to offer a complimentary, one-year membership for children. Youth members receive a monthly packet of topical stamps, worksheets and philatelic information, a discount in the Museum store, a monthly stamp calendar plus free admission for themselves and the family. For more information, contact Jessica Leuschner.
Our seniors are a treasured segment of our membership. Established last year, this $25 membership offers those individuals all of the benefits and joys of membership. Contact us for more information!
Have ideas? Want to share?
Please send us any and all ideas!
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