Monday, November 21, 2016

Hitler baby, one more time!

What up stamp fam? Today's post may be a bit salty for some of you and I want to preface this entire piece by saying that my usual sarcastic tone may offend some. Apologies in advance and after! On to it, today we are talking about Hitler and more interestingly the Reichspost or German Postal service. Hitler had an interesting albeit dark past and an even darker "coming to power" story but, what interests this blogger is the introduction of propaganda stamps on both sides of the war. We will dive into the world of Hitler and Nazi postage in a moment but first a history lesson: 

According to Wikipedia and common knowledge, "Adolf Hitler was a German politician who was the leader of the Nazi Party (Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei; NSDAP), Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and Führer ("leader") of Nazi Germany from 1934 to 1945. As dictator of the German Reich, he initiated World War II in Europe with the invasion of Poland in September 1939 and was a central figure of the Holocaust." In other words, Hitler was one hell of a mean dude who didn't like outsiders and a bit of a bully, remind you of anyone? "Hitler was born in Austria, then part of Austria-Hungary, and raised near Linz. He moved to Germany in 1913 and was decorated during his service in the German Army in World War I. He joined the German Workers' Party, the precursor of the NSDAP, in 1919 and became leader of the NSDAP in 1921. In 1923, he attempted a coup in Munich to seize power. The failed coup resulted in Hitler's imprisonment, during which time he dictated the first volume of his autobiography and political manifesto Mein Kampf ("My Struggle"). After his release in 1924, Hitler gained popular support by attacking the Treaty of Versailles and promoting Pan-Germanism, anti-Semitism, and anti-communism with charismatic oratory and Nazi propaganda." Once again, any of this sounding awfully similar to anyone else we know today, hmmmm? "Hitler frequently denounced international capitalism and communism as being part of a Jewish conspiracy. By 1933, the Nazi Party was the largest elected party in the German Reichstag, which led to Hitler's appointment as Chancellor on 30 January 1933. Following fresh elections won by his coalition, the Reichstag passed the Enabling Act, which began the process of transforming the Weimar Republic into Nazi Germany, a one-party dictatorship based on the totalitarian and autocratic ideology of National Socialism. Hitler aimed to eliminate Jews from Germany and establish a New Order to counter what he saw as the injustice of the post-World War I international order dominated by Britain and France. His first six years in power resulted in rapid economic recovery from the Great Depression, the effective abandonment of restrictions imposed on Germany after World War I, and the annexation of territories that were home to millions of ethnic Germans—actions which gave him significant popular support." 

Hitler "directed large-scale rearmament and on 1 September 1939 invaded Poland, resulting in British and French declarations of war on Germany. In June 1941, Hitler ordered an invasion of the Soviet Union. By the end of 1941 German forces and the European Axis powers occupied most of Europe and North Africa. Failure to defeat the Soviets and the entry of the United States into the war forced Germany onto the defensive and it suffered a series of escalating defeats. In the final days of the war, during the Battle of Berlin in 1945, Hitler married his long-time lover, Eva Braun. On 30 April 1945, less than two days later, the two killed themselves to avoid capture by the Red Army, and their corpses were burned."

According to Wikipedia, "Under Hitler's leadership and racially motivated ideology, the Nazi regime was responsible for the genocide of at least 5.5 million Jews and millions of other victims whom he and his followers deemed Untermenschen ("sub-humans") and socially undesirable. Hitler and the Nazi regime were also responsible for the killing of an estimated 19.3 million civilians and prisoners of war. In addition, 29 million soldiers and civilians died as a result of military action in the European Theatre of World War II. The number of civilians killed during the Second World War was unprecedented in warfare, and constitutes the deadliest conflict in human history."

"During the 'Third Reich' the Reichspost continued to function as a monopoly of the government under the auspices of the Reichspostministerium, and Nazi propaganda took hold and influenced stamp design and policy. The Hitler head stamp became the stamp for common usage, and a large number of semipostal stamps were issued. In the last year before the end of the war the stamp inscription "Deutsches Reich" was changed to "Grossdeutsches Reich" (Greater German Empire). Field post stamps were issued for the military forces starting in 1942. The world's first postal code system was introduced on July 25, 1941 with a two-digit number system. This system was initially used for the packet service and later applied to all mail deliveries. "

To combat the Nazi war machine the American based Office of Strategic Services initiated Operation Cornflakes, a propaganda operation started toward the end of World War II. According to an article written by Josh Tapper, "The goal was simple enough. The O.S.S. would influence German citizens by infiltrating the German postal system, sending them envelopes stuffed with anti-Nazi literature. To get the mail to its final destination, the Allies would blow up German mail trains; in the confusing aftermath, German couriers would pick up and deliver all the loose mail, never really stopping to closely examine the forged stamps that the Allies created." Amazingly, this plan worked and the stamps were mass distributed by the people who swore to defend Nazi Germany. 

According to Josh, "it was too conspicuous to buy scores of ordinary, 12-pfennig German stamps, so the O.S.S. created the Hitler Skull Stamp, a riff on the standard Nazi-era 'Deutsches Reich' or German Empire stamp. Instead of a regal profile of Hitler, the illegal stamp sent a message, depicting Hitler’s head as a sinister skull. Underneath, the words read 'Futsches Reich,' or 'Lost Empire.' The much prized Hitler Skull Stamp is a favorite among Nazi focused Philatelists and if you ever do come across one, watch out for the many forgeries floating around. Who knows, you may come across the genuine article in you stamp travels and if you do, make sure to salute with your middle finger. 






Issued just before the end of the war! 

American Propaganda stamps! 

Regular issue from the Hitler birthday collection. 

"Hitler portrayed on a 40 pfennig stamp from 1944."

Beautiful colours, I mean, for a monster. 

Propaganda forgery at its finest! 

This is an eerie side to one of the most evil men in history...he looks like he could be someone's grandfather. 

I couldn't resist! 

Do you have a favorite weird stamp you want to share? Tell us down below in the comments!

Stay cool, stamp fam!

-Stamp Geek 

Tuesday, November 8, 2016

Let's get serious!

Hey Stamp fam, 

I would like to be serious for a moment and talk with you about our hobby or rather make a case for why we need to involve our youth more. I know this blog is mostly filled with funny pictures, bad puns and awesome stamp pictures and this post will of course be no exception but I want us all to take a hard look at the future of philately and why it is so important to be inclusive. 

I know, I've harped on about this before but, it appears that some of us are still not listening and that concerns those of us in the community who want to see philately continue to grow. I am not saying that the hobby is dying but, if we don't take any action, the newer generations may not take up the tongs and continue in our places. I can imagine what you are thinking, how on Earth do we compete with today's technology, movies and video games? Well, the answer is simple, don't. Many postal outfits are applying the old "if you can't beat em, join em" adage and are releasing stamps with modern themes. Case in point, the USPS released a series of Harry Potter themed stamps back in November 2013. Just recently in October of this year, according to their website, "celebrated Wonder Woman’s 75th anniversary with Forever stamps that depict the iconic DC Comics Super Hero during four eras of comic book history." Now THAT is progress!

But, it isn't just the United States who are getting on board, back in May of this year Canada Post released a set of 50th anniversary Star Trek stamps and collectibles and as a major Trekkie I was very pleased. Just last year in April CP also released a set of stamps depicting Dinosaurs and a sequel in May 2016 with the tag line, "Predator or prey? There’s more than meets the eye in Dinos of Canada stamp sequel." Brilliant. Do you know how CP chose to advertise their newest series? They put in an ad before a movie in Cineplex. Doubly brilliant. Just think how many young people that ad may have reached. Sure, a few of them probably scoffed and said, "chya, like I give a crap about stamps" but maybe a few of the nerdier and in my opinion more awesome children though that stamp collecting looks like it might be fun. 

I'm not saying that every kid will take an interest when there are so many distractions around but, if we never try to involve them then we will never know for sure. Now, enjoy the following photos and my terrible captions below! 




Look at history coming to life! 


Just look at the joy on their faces! It doesn't get any better than this. :) 

Middle school students exploring a stamp exhibit, just look at that engagement!  

Any potterheads out there!? Luna!!! 

Yaaaaaaaaas queen! 


What are you waiting for? Get your children involved today! 


What do you think? Leave your comment below! 

Stamp Geek.

Monday, October 17, 2016

Poking fun at the postal system!

What up stamp fam? 

Today we will take a look at the lost art of mockery as it applies to the postal service with a focus on the United States Postal Service. Obviously this is all in good fun but if you are easily offended by teasing and mockery please stop reading this now and stay off the internet until after the November 8th, 2016 especially if you live in the US. A good chunk of the pictures below are exaggerated but honestly, who hasn't mistaken a mail carrier's bum for a mail slot...anyone!? I'm sure if the walls of a post office could talk there would be many voices shouting about how terrible customers are and trust me, we as consumers can be a lousy cross section of humanity (I'm looking at you no return address envelopes). Now, without further ado, please enjoy these oh so funny and slightly offensive pictures and jokes at the expense of the hard working individuals who deal with our mail every god damn day! 

Enjoy! 






Mothafuckas! 

This one is irrelevant and just for fun! :) 


Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaas!!! 

I wish this were a thing and I'm sure many postal workers agree! 


This one made Mr. Stamp laugh out loud! 


Buuuuuuurn! 


Relevant. 

This one is particularly painful for me because this has happened many, MAAAANY times to me. 


Best...mailbox...EVER! 


And now, some hilarious post office jokes! 


I wrote a letter to the Postmaster General once on ways to improve mail service.  It got lost.

I remember when the Postal workers started a slow-down strike for a pay raise. They had to call it off -- nobody noticed.

I give 'em this though.  The rural letter-carriers are more considerate than their urban counterparts.  All of the packages marked "Fragile" are thrown underhanded in the rural stations.

One good thing about the Post Office -- it's over 200 years old and yet it's never been hindered by progress.

I just got my new driver's license in the mail the other day. It expired last month unfortunately.

If you ever want to make sure somebody gets what's coming to 'em, for God's sake -- don't mail it!

A postal worker was always stamping her feet whenever they would letter.



Annnnnd some Rejected Post Office Slogan Ideas:

Neither rain nor sleet nor disgruntled uzi-bearing former employees will keep us from our appointed rounds.

We know where you live.

It's not just a job, it's a chance to shoot some people.

You work hard so we don't have to.

If your package doesn't arrive on time, we'll shoot several employees.

Attitude shmattitude.  Shut up and get out.

Better armed than Fed Ex.

We do more by 10pm than most people do all day.

Lick it, stick it and kiss it goodbye!





Remember, tis aaaaaaaall in good fun! 

Do you have a hilarious postal joke? Comment down below! 

Tuesday, October 11, 2016

I need a hero!

What makes a hero? The actual dictionary definition of heroism is "great bravery" but what does that broad description really mean? I tackle my crippling fear of spiders every time I squash one that has wondered into my bedroom and though it's a brave move it is not heroic. Some may say that performing a selfless act that saves another's life is heroism and others think sacrificing ones self in the line of duty is truly heroic. Though these statements are true I think that the definition can be widened to say that heroism is great bravery in the face of much adversary and with a selfless heart. I think this new definition can be ascribed to the people who grace the stamps I am discussing today. The following people are very brave and indeed true Canadian heroes that are forever immortalized on postage stamps so that the future generations can appreciate all they did for this great country.



Viola Irene Desmond (July 6, 1914 – February 7, 1965) was a Black Nova Scotian businesswoman who challenged racial segregation at a film theater in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia in 1946. She refused to leave a whites-only area of the Roseland Theater and was unjustly convicted of a minor tax violation used to enforce segregation. Desmond's case is one of the most publicized incidents of racial discrimination in Canadian history and helped start the modern civil rights movement in Canada. Desmond acted nine years before the famed incident by civil-rights activist Rosa Parks, with whom Desmond is often compared. Desmond was granted a posthumous pardon, the first to be granted in Canada. The government of Nova Scotia also apologized for convicting her for tax evasion and acknowledged she was rightfully resisting racial discrimination.


Laura Secord  (13 September 1775 – 17 October 1868) was a Canadian heroine of the War of 1812. She is known for having walked 20 miles (32 km) out of American-occupied territory in 1813 to warn British forces of an impending American attack. Her contribution to the war was little known during her lifetime, but since her death she has been frequently honoured in Canada. Her effort was forgotten until 1860, when Edward, Prince of Wales awarded the impoverished widow £100 for her service on his visit to Canada.The story of Laura Secord has taken on mythological overtones in Canada. Her tale has been the subject of books, plays, and poetry, often with many embellishments. Since her death, Canada has bestowed honours on her, including schools named after her, monuments, a museum, a memorial stamp and coin, and a statue at the Valiants Memorial in the Canadian capital.



Henry Norman Bethune (March 4, 1890 – November 12, 1939) was a Canadian physician, medical innovator, and noted anti-fascist. Bethune came to international prominence first for his service as a front line surgeon supporting the democratically elected Republican government during the Spanish Civil War. But it was his service with the Communist Eighth Route Army during the Second Sino-Japanese War that would earn him enduring acclaim. Dr. Bethune effectively brought modern medicine to rural China and often treated sick villagers as much as wounded soldiers. His selfless commitment made a profound impression on the Chinese people, especially CPC's leader, Mao Zedong. The chairman wrote a famous eulogy to him, which was memorized by generations of Chinese people. While Bethune was the man responsible for developing a mobile blood-transfusion service for front line operations in the Spanish Civil War, he himself died of blood poisoning while working on a patient without gloves as he didn't have time to put them on before nicking himself on a medical instrument. A prominent Communist and veteran of the First World War, he wrote that wars were motivated by profits, not principles. Statues in his honor can be found in cities throughout China.



Is one of your heroes on a postage stamp? Leave a comment down below and tell us all about it! 

Stamp Geek! 

Wednesday, September 28, 2016

Modernize your life!

Is modern only good as postage?

Almost every time I get a piece of mail from a dealer the envelope is covered with modern stamps being used as postage. Now, don't get me wrong I can see the appeal in using modern in place of postage stamps: the cover could be worth something some day, used modern is scarcer than mint and it does look absolutely brilliant when done right but, what kind of message does this send? That modern stamps are to be used as postage because they are not as good as classic stamps.

Consider this, these stamps that we are sticking to envelopes and sending off into the postal service will one day be deemed classic. They will be scarce in mint condition and will therefore go up in value (in theory). If this happens, what will you dry your tears with, your pile of used covers covered in modern stamps!? Modern stamps are not just postage, there are real life philatelists collecting them as we speak and enjoying them just as much as classic stamps. Just remember that everything gets old eventually and you don't want to find yourself missing your chance with modern. Think about it.










Don't mail our future in Philately away, stand up and say, "modern is just as good as classic and we won't take it anymore!!!" 


What do you think of the modern as postage craze? Leave a comment down below! 


Stamp Geek, out! 

Wednesday, September 21, 2016

"D'oh!"

What up stamp fam?

If you're an uber geek like me then you probably know all about a little show called, "The Simpsons" which is the brainchild of writer Matt Groening. "The Simpsons" first aired on The Tracey Ullman Show as a short April 19, 1987 and became a real hit with the American public. The shorts were so popular that 20th Century Fox eventually expanded them into a 30 minute television spin-off which first aired on December 17, 1989. According to the Simpsons Wiki, "as of 2016, 27 seasons of the series have been produced, with the 28th season set to premiere on September 25, 2016. The series currently holds the record for the longest-running prime-time sitcom in the US, running for 27 years since 1989, and becoming the longest-running program on FOX."

What does this have to do with stamps you may be asking? Well, apparently back on May 7th 2009 the US Postal Service started selling stamps featuring "The Simpsons." The stamps were issued as commemoratives worth 44 cents each and Matt Groening was quoted as saying, "this is the biggest and most adhesive honor The Simpsons have ever received" oh so puny.

At the time the stamps were slated to be a huge success but much like the series after seasons 12 and 13, what comes up must inevitably come crashing down. According to an article on Bloomberg.com, "In a move that wasted $1.2 million in printing costs, the service produced 1 billion of  'The Simpsons' stamps and sold 318 million. The Postal Service inspector general in a report singled out the overproduction of stamps marking the 20th anniversary of the cartoon’s run on News Corp.’s Fox network as an example of failing to align stamp production with demand." Talk about a major "D'oh!" moment! This can hardly be blamed on the show itself but rather an overzealous postal system trying desperately to  cater to a younger generation without proper utilization of social media and other forms of PR that would reach said generation.

Case in point, I am a HUGE Simpsons fan but by gum if I knew they had been issued. I mean, it's not like I wouldn't have gotten on the trolley when it came a speeding by and I would sure as sugar have gotten with the times...Moe. Anyway, enough misquoting it's time for what we all came for, hard core nudity!!!








Which Simpsons character is your favorite!? Leave a comment down below letting us know! 

Stamp Geek, out! 

Thursday, September 8, 2016

Villainous...

Throughout history some incredibly evil people have been immortalized on stamps. Some have passed on and others are still kicking around oppressing and hurting people (I'm looking at you, Kim Jong Un). Most of the stamps listed here are of famous dictators who ruled over their people with an iron fist and killed thousands of innocent souls. It's difficult to imagine but at the time some of these stamps were issued the evil men depicted on them were actually praised and revered as national hero's. That is pretty shocking to someone who lives in a country (Canada) where no one has ever "ruled ruthlessly" unless you count the Queen and perhaps Stephen Harper. Without further ado, here are some of the most evil people to ever grace a postage stamp. 







As per and article written in Wikipedia, "Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (18 December 1878– 5 March 1953) was the leader of the Soviet Union from the mid-1920s until his death in 1953. Holding the post of the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, he was effectively the dictator of the state. He served as the Premier of the Soviet Union from 1941 onward. 

Under Stalin's rule, the concept of "Socialism in One Country" became a central tenet of Soviet society, contrary to Leon Trotsky's view that socialism must be spread through continuous international revolutions. He replaced the New Economic Policy introduced by Lenin in the early 1920s with a highly centralized command economy, launching a period of industrialization and collectivization that resulted in the rapid transformation of the USSR from an agrarian society into an industrial power. However, the economic changes coincided with the imprisonment of millions of people in Gulag labour camps. The initial upheaval in agriculture disrupted food production and contributed to the catastrophic Soviet famine of 1932–33, known in Ukraine as the Holodomor. Between 1934 and 1939 he organized and led a massive purge (known as "Great Purge") of the party, government, armed forces and intelligentsia, in which millions of so-called "enemies of the working class" were imprisoned, exiled or executed, often without due process. Major figures in the Communist Party and government, and many Red Army high commanders, were killed after being convicted of treason in show trials.

In August 1939, after failed attempts to conclude anti-Hitler pacts with other major European powers, Stalin entered into a non-aggression pact with Nazi Germany known as the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, or the Nazi-Soviet Pact, that divided their influence and territory within Eastern Europe, resulting in their invasion of Poland in September of that year, but Germany later violated the agreement and launched a massive invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941. Despite heavy human and territorial losses, Soviet forces managed to halt the Nazi incursion after the decisive Battles of Moscow and Stalingrad. After defeating the Axis powers on the Eastern Front, the Red Army captured Berlin in May 1945, effectively ending the war in Europe for the Allies. The Soviet Union subsequently emerged as one of two recognized world superpowers, the other being the United States. Communist governments loyal to the Soviet Union were established in most countries freed from German occupation by the Red Army, which later constituted the Eastern Bloc. Stalin also had close relations with Mao Zedong in China and Kim Il-sung in North Korea.

Stalin led the Soviet Union through its post-war reconstruction phase, which saw a significant rise in tension with the Western world that would later be known as the Cold War. During this period, the USSR became the second country in the world to successfully develop a nuclear weapon, as well as launching the Great Plan for the Transformation of Nature in response to another widespread famine and the Great Construction Projects of Communism. In the years following his death, Stalin and his regime have been condemned on numerous occasions, most notably in 1956 when his successor Nikita Khrushchev denounced his legacy and initiated a process of de-Stalinization and rehabilitation to victims of his regime. Stalin remains a controversial figure today, with many regarding him as a tyrant. However, popular opinion within the Russian Federation is mixed. The exact number of deaths caused by Stalin's regime is still a subject of debate, but it is widely agreed to be in the order of millions."



As per Wikipedia, "Francisco Franco Bahamonde (4 December 1892 – 20 November 1975) was a Spanish general and the Caudillo of Spain from 1939 until his death in 1975. Coming from a military family background, he became the youngest general in Spain and one of the youngest generals in Europe in the 1920s. 

As a conservative and a monarchist, he rejected the abolition of the monarchy and its replacement with a republic in 1931. With the 1936 elections, the conservative Spanish Confederation of Autonomous Right-wing Groups lost by a narrow margin and the leftist Popular Front came to power. Intending to overthrow the republic, Franco and other generals staged a failed coup precipitating the Spanish Civil War. With the death of the other generals, Franco quickly became his faction's only leader.

Franco's Nationalist faction received military support from fascist regimes and groups, especially Nazi Germany and the Kingdom of Italy, while the Republican side was supported by Spanish communists and anarchists as well as help from the Soviet Union, Mexico, and the International Brigades. Leaving half a million dead, the war was eventually won by Franco in 1939. He established a military dictatorship, which he defined as a totalitarian state. Franco proclaimed himself Head of State and Government under the title El Caudillo (the Chief), a term similar to Il Duce (Italian) and Der Führer (German). Under Franco, Spain became a one-party state with a merger of the monarchist party and the fascist party that helped him during the war, the FET y de las JONS, while all other political parties were outlawed.

Franco led a series of politically-motivated violent acts, including but not limited to concentration camps, forced labor and executions, mostly against political and ideological enemies, causing an estimated 200,000 to 400,000 deaths, depending on how death in the more than 190 concentration camps is considered. Although Franco's Spain maintained an official policy of neutrality during World War II, his regime helped the Axis in numerous ways. The German and Italian navies were allowed to use Spanish harbors from 1940 to 1943, the Abwehr gathered intelligence in Spain on Allied activity, and the Blue Division fought alongside the European Axis Powers against the Soviet Union. By the 1950s, the nature of his regime changed from being openly totalitarian and using severe repression to a more authoritarian system with limited pluralism. During the Cold War, Franco appeared as one of the world's foremost anticommunist figures; consequently his regime was assisted by the West, and was asked to join the United Nations and come under NATO's protection. By the 1960s Spain saw incremental reforms and progressive economic development.

After a 36-year rule, Franco died in 1975. He restored the monarchy before his death, which made King Juan Carlos I his successor, who led the Spanish transition to democracy. After a referendum, a new constitution was adopted, which transformed Spain into a parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy."


According to the same source (Wikipedia), "Mao Zedong or Mao Tse-tung (December 26, 1893 – September 9, 1976), also known as Chairman Mao, was a Chinese communist revolutionary and founding father of the People's Republic of China, which he ruled as an autocrat styled the Chairman of the Communist Party of China from its establishment in 1949, until his death in 1976. His Marxist–Leninist theories, military strategies, and political policies are collectively known as Maoism or Marxism-Leninism-Maoism.

Born the son of a wealthy farmer in Shaoshan, Hunan, Mao adopted a Chinese nationalist and anti-imperialist outlook in early life, particularly influenced by the events of the Xinhai Revolution of 1911 and May Fourth Movement of 1919. Mao adopted Marxism–Leninism while working at Peking University and became a founding member of the Communist Party of China (CPC), leading the Autumn Harvest Uprising in 1927. During the Chinese Civil War between the Guomindang (GMD) and the CPC, Mao helped to found the Red Army, led the Jiangxi Soviet's radical land policies and ultimately became head of the CPC during the Long March. Although the CPC temporarily allied with the GMD under the United Front during the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–45), after Japan's defeat China's civil war resumed and in 1949 Mao's forces defeated the Nationalists who withdrew to Taiwan.

On October 1, 1949, Mao proclaimed the foundation of the People's Republic of China (PRC), a one-party state controlled by the CPC. In the following years Mao solidified his control through land reform campaigns against landlords, and perceived enemies of the state he termed as "counter-revolutionaries". In 1957, he launched the Great Leap Forward campaign that aimed to rapidly transform China's economy from an agrarian economy to an industrial one. The campaign contributed to a widespread famine, whose death toll is estimated at between 15 and 45 million. In 1966, he initiated the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, a program to remove "counter-revolutionary" elements of Chinese society that lasted 10 years and which was marked by violent class struggle, widespread destruction of cultural artifacts and unprecedented elevation of Mao's personality cult. In 1972, Mao welcomed American President Richard Nixon in Beijing, signalling a policy of opening China, which was furthered under the rule of Deng Xiaoping (1978–1992). Mao suffered a series of heart attacks in 1976, dying in that September, aged 82. He was succeeded as Paramount leader by Hua Guofeng (1976–1978), who was quickly sidelined and replaced by Deng.

A controversial figure, Mao is regarded as one of the most important individuals in modern world history, and is also known as a theorist, military strategist, poet and visionary.  Supporters credit him with driving imperialism out of China, modernising China and building it into a world power, promoting the status of women, improving education and health care, and increasing life expectancy as China's population grew from around 550 million to over 900 million during the period of his leadership. In contrast, critics consider him a dictator comparable to Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin who severely damaged traditional Chinese culture, as well as a perpetrator of systematic human rights abuses who was responsible for an estimated 40 to 70 million deaths through starvation, forced labour and executions, ranking his tenure as the top incidence of homicide in human history."


As per Wikipedia, "Kim Jong-un was born 8 January 1984 in Pyongyang and is the Chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea and supreme leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), commonly referred to as North Korea.

Kim is the third and youngest son of Kim Jong-il (1941—2011) and his consort Ko Yong-hui. Little is known for certain about Kim Jong-un. Before taking power, Kim had barely been seen in public, and many of the activities of both Kim and his government remain shrouded in secrecy. Even details such as what year he was born, and whether he did indeed attend a Western school under a pseudonym, are difficult to confirm with certainty.

Kim was officially declared the supreme leader, following the state funeral of his father on 28 December 2011. Kim holds the titles of Chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea, Chairman of the Central Military Commission, Chairman of the National Defence Commission, Supreme Commander of the Korean People's Army, and presidium member of the Politburo of the Workers' Party of Korea.

Kim was promoted to the rank of Marshal of North Korea in the Korean People's Army on 18 July 2012, consolidating his position as the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces and is often referred to as Marshal Kim Jong-un or "the Marshal" by state media.

Kim obtained two degrees, one in physics at Kim Il-sung University, and another as an Army officer at the Kim Il-sung Military University.

On 9 March 2014, Kim Jong-un was elected unopposed to the Supreme People's Assembly. At 32 years of age, Kim is the first North Korean leader born after the country's founding and the world's youngest state leader. Kim was named the World's 46th Most Powerful Person by the Forbes list of The World's Most Powerful People in 2013."


Probably the most well known of the bunch is Adolf Hitler, According to Wikipedia, "Adolf was born on the 20 April 1889 and died 30 April 1945. He was a German politician who was the leader of the Nazi Party (Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei; NSDAP), Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and Führer ("leader") of Nazi Germany from 1934 to 1945. As dictator of Nazi Germany, he initiated World War II in Europe with the invasion of Poland in September 1939 and was a central figure of the Holocaust.

Hitler was born in Austria, then part of Austria-Hungary, and raised near Linz. He moved to Germany in 1913 and was decorated during his service in the German Army in World War I. He joined the German Workers' Party, the precursor of the NSDAP, in 1919 and became leader of the NSDAP in 1921. In 1923, he attempted a coup in Munich to seize power. The failed coup resulted in Hitler's imprisonment, during which time he dictated the first volume of his autobiography and political manifesto Mein Kampf ("My Struggle"). After his release in 1924, Hitler gained popular support by attacking the Treaty of Versailles and promoting Pan-Germanism, anti-Semitism, and anti-communism with charismatic oratory and Nazi propaganda. Hitler frequently denounced international capitalism and communism as being part of a Jewish conspiracy.

By 1933, the Nazi Party was the largest elected party in the German Reichstag, which led to Hitler's appointment as Chancellor on 30 January 1933. Following fresh elections won by his coalition, the Reichstag passed the Enabling Act, which began the process of transforming the Weimar Republic into Nazi Germany, a one-party dictatorship based on the totalitarian and autocratic ideology of National Socialism. Hitler aimed to eliminate Jews from Germany and establish a New Order to counter what he saw as the injustice of the post-World War I international order dominated by Britain and France. His first six years in power resulted in rapid economic recovery from the Great Depression, the effective abandonment of restrictions imposed on Germany after World War I, and the annexation of territories that were home to millions of ethnic Germans—actions which gave him significant popular support.

Hitler sought Lebensraum ("living space") for the German people. His aggressive foreign policy is considered to be the primary cause of the outbreak of World War II in Europe. He directed large-scale rearmament and on 1 September 1939 invaded Poland, resulting in British and French declarations of war on Germany. In June 1941, Hitler ordered an invasion of the Soviet Union. By the end of 1941 German forces and the European Axis powers occupied most of Europe and North Africa. Failure to defeat the Soviets and the entry of the United States into the war forced Germany onto the defensive and it suffered a series of escalating defeats. In the final days of the war, during the Battle of Berlin in 1945, Hitler married his long-time lover, Eva Braun. On 30 April 1945, less than two days later, the two killed themselves to avoid capture by the Red Army, and their corpses were burned.

Under Hitler's leadership and racially motivated ideology, the Nazi regime was responsible for the genocide of at least 5.5 million Jews and millions of other victims whom he and his followers deemed Untermenschen ("sub-humans") and socially undesirable. Hitler and the Nazi regime were also responsible for the killing of an estimated 19.3 million civilians and prisoners of war. In addition, 29 million soldiers and civilians died as a result of military action in the European Theatre of World War II. The number of civilians killed during the Second World War was unprecedented in warfare, and constitutes the deadliest conflict in human history."


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