Balloons
When the U.S. Civil War began, President Abaham Lincoln’s military advisers suggested that hot air balloons could be used to survey battlefields from high above to determine the movements of Confederate troops. Lincoln agreed and the Union Army Balloon Corps was formed. Professor Thaddeus Lowe was made the Chief Aeronaut – someone who flies in an airship or balloon.
The first balloon stamp here, the first vertical stamp, shows the Intrepid. It was a hydrogen balloon made for aerial reconnaissance. Hydrogen was generated rapidly mixing iron filings with sulfuric acid. It was quicker than spliting water into hydrogen and oxygen using electricity. The balloon would remain tethered to the ground by a rope, which included a telegraph wire for sending messages to the commanders in the field.
Lowe and his balloons were successful and instrumental in assisting the Union Army in several battles. However, he was criticized for his methods and some commanders thought using balloons was ridicuous. As a result, Lowe resigned in 1863 from the military and returned to civilian life. Without him, the Balloon Corps was disbanded. Inciddentally, Lowe went on to invent a process to get hydrogen quickly and easily from water turned into steam. He also invented a machine to make ice. Those inventions made him a millionaire.
The last stamp, the second vertical stamp depicts the ballooon called, Explorer II, a high-altitude hellium balloon. It had a crew of two aeronauts in a capsule. In 1935, they rose to an altitude of over 72,000 feet, or 22,000 meters. It was a scientific mission sponsored by the National Geographic Society to learn more about the atmosphere, specifically the stratosphere. After almost an hour and a half, they made their dissent, landing about 140 miles, or 225 kilometers away in South Dakota.
Note
There are a few stamps here that have stories worth investigating. I chose two of the balloon stamps, but you may want to research some of the others. The last stamp on this page is of particular interest to me. It shows a street car from St. Charles Avenue in New Orleans. It says it’s from 1923, but they’re still using those same street cars.
Contains 12 spots: own 12 – 12 unused, 0 used.
Page is finished.
Album or Web Page Last changed May 21, 2025
Stamp Details
The table below lists information about the stamps shown on this page of Lighthouse’s stamp album. For more details about a particular stamp, click on its description. That will take you to the related web page of Colnect.
spot |
own |
catalog |
subject |
description |
comment |
Science & Scientists
✓ |
2055 |
20c (sep 1983) |
|||
✓ |
2056 |
20c (sep 1983) |
|||
✓ |
2057 |
20c (sep 1983) |
|||
✓ |
2058 |
20c (sep 1983) |
Ballooons
✓ |
2032 |
20c (mar 1983) |
|||
✓ |
2033 |
20c (mar 1983) |
|||
✓ |
2034 |
20c (mar 1983) |
|||
✓ |
2035 |
20c (mar 1983) |
Street Cars
✓ |
2059 |
20c (oct 1983) |
|||
✓ |
2060 |
20c (oct 1983) |
|||
✓ |
2061 |
20c (oct 1983) |
|||
✓ |
2062 |
20c (oct 1983) |
Footnotes
Spot refers to the postion of the stamp on the album page (e.g., 3.2 indicates row 3, position 2).
Amt. is an abbreviation for the face amount of the stamp.
Own indicates the stamp status: ✓ for unused; ✗ for used or canceled; ⭑ signifies I ordered one; ; ✨ indicates it was bought recently; ✠ means an auction bid is pending; and ◎ is used, and it costs too much for unused.
To search by catalog number, go to the search box and enter it in the catalog number box. However, it’s a bit broken; I need to fix it.
