The United States Post Office issued its first stamp
all the way back in 1847. For the next 135 years or so, all manner of
historical figures was honored on American postage, from presidents to poets to
Pocahontas.
But never once was a baseball player chosen - until
August 2, 1982, when the USPS announced that Jackie Robinson had earned yet
another place in history.
Of course, baseball had been featured on official
stamps before: Back in 1939, the Post Office issued a Baseball Centennial stamp
to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Abner Doubleday's purported invention
of the game. But no individual big leaguer had ever received the honor, which made
Robinson's appearance on the 20-cent stamp in 1982 so remarkable -- an
acknowledgment of the fact that he was much more than just a ballplayer.
"They've put Jackie Robinson on a postage
stamp," a Sports Illustrated story read that November, "right up there
in the same league with Thomas Jefferson and the woman who founded the Red
Cross."
The specific design was based on Herb Scharfman's
iconic photo of Jackie sliding in safely against the Boston Braves on Aug. 22,
1948:
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