The United States issued its first postage stamps in 1847. Before that time, the rates, dates and origin of the letter were written by hand or sometimes in combination with a handstamp device. Since enactment of the Postal Reorganization Act of 1970, postage rates have been set by the Postal Regulatory Commission.
The celebrity appeal is not hard to appreciate. Encompassing an area about the size of Rhode Island, Muskoka is clustered around three big lakes -- Muskoka, Joseph and Rosseau -- that are carved into the Canadian Shield and framed by a dense canopy of hemlocks, pines and maples.
South Sandwich Islands. The South Sandwich Islands are nature's solo act. Volcanic eruptions roughed out their shape; ice, wind, and waves still hammer and carve them. Birds and seals alone find refuge here. Captain James Cook, on his search for a rumored southern continent, discovered the islands in 1775.