Recently, Spellman Museum of Stamps & Postal History did a super cool thing. They offered free stamps while asking, "Need something to do while at home? Learn some history from stamps".

"Receive 50 free US and worldwide vintage stamps. Use the internet to research about the person or event honored on the stamp. Email your request to info@spellman.org." I did just that and boy did I get some interesting postal fun. Here are just 8 of my extensive collection.
I chose this stamp because its history is familiar to me. This 3-cent stamp was issued on January 24, 1948 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the discovery of gold in California. James W. Marshall found gold while working at John Sutter's Mill in Coloma. News of the discovery led to the gold rush of 1849 in which thousands of men abandoned their jobs and went prospecting in hopes of riches. Although only a few made large fortunes, many who came from afar stayed and contributed to California's rapid development. We have visited this historic site several times and now I have the stamp to prove it.
I spoke of this history in a previous post. This was also created as a centennial commemoration, though ten years later, to celebrate the first overland mail route across the continental United States (which just happened to travel through Temecula).
Okay, turns out the 100th anniversary of any historical event is worthy of a stamp. Since I knew very little of the Transatlantic Cable, I thought this was a good stamp to study. American Cyrus W. Field formed the Atlantic Telegraph Company to lay a cable across the Atlantic Ocean floor between Ireland and Newfoundland. The first two cables failed, before a third cable transmitted the first trans-Atlantic telegraph message in 1858. The missive took 17 hours to transmit. It said, “Glory to God in the highest; on earth, peace and good will towards men.” Then Queen Victoria of England and President James Buchanan of the United States exchanged congratulations. Who knew?
I have a thing for this guy and having toured his home in Martinez last year, I just had to share this 5-cent stamp honoring the naturalist John Muir, issued in 1964. This complex design portrays a redwood forest with a shaft of light coming down at an angle through the trees to highlight Muir with a hiking staff. Superimposed on this background is a drawing of Muir's face. No reason for the stamp. He's just a neat guy needing commemorating.
I love birds and this stamp, released in 1966, commemorates the 50th anniversary of the Migratory Bird Treaty between the U.S. and Canada, makes me happy. This treaty protects migratory birds and was meant to help maintain cordial relations between our neighboring countries. It was a major stepping-stone to both nations taking notable actions to protect migratory birds. The resulting act makes it illegal to “pursue, hunt, take, capture, kill, or sell birds listed therein as migratory birds.” It also gives full protection to any part of the birds listed, including feathers, eggs, and nests. The entire list features over 800 species of migratory birds. And that is worth celebrating.
Before Spellman Museum gave this awesome research assignment, I never really paid much attention to where stamps were issued (though one year ago, today, we were at the 150th of the Golden Spike in Utah. Now that was some kind of release party). I found it very interesting that this 50th Anniversary Year of Talking Pictures stamp was issued in Hollywood in 1977. Perfect, right? The first film successfully to feature sound was The Jazz Singer, released in 1927. Hollywood remains the motion picture capital of the world and a place where I love to play tourist. 
I received several stamps from the Celebrate the Century – 1940s series but I was most fond of this 33¢ Slinky, issued in 1999 at Dobbins Air Force Base, GA. While engineer Richard James was testing anti-vibration devices for U.S. Navy battleships, one of the torsion springs he was working with fell off his desk and bounced back and forth on the floor. James decided that with the right kind of steel and exact degree of tension, he could make the spring into a children’s toy. He was right. After two years of research, James he put 400 Slinkys on display at Gimbel’s Department Store in Philadelphia, in 1945. They all sold within 90 minutes. Did you know that a Slinky is made with 80 feet of coiled wire? Did you have one when you were a kid? Oh man. 𝅘𝅥𝅮It’s Slinky; it’s Slinky. For fun it’s a wonderful toy.𝅘𝅥𝅮
Lastly, I was intrigued by American Journalist Martha Gellhorn. One of the world’s first female war correspondents, this 2008 stamp commemorates the 100th anniversary of her birth. Gellhorn was the only woman to land on Normandy on D-Day. What set her apart was her insistence on going into the action to interview ordinary soldiers and civilians.  She reported on the Battle of the Bulge, and was one of the first to enter Dachau Concentration Camp. The respected reporter once remarked that she “covered the war wherever I could reach it.” Her résumé is worth a further explore. I just know I would never have 'met' such an amazing woman if it wasn't for Spellman and the gift of these stamps. Who knows, maybe there will be a part 2. WOW.