By Joe O'Donnell

1. Postage Stamp Day

July 1 is National U.S. Postage Stamp Day, according to NationalDayCalendar.com.

And according to others, too. 

The topic is a hot one on Twitter, where the @USPSStamps, @FDRLibrary and @USNatArchives are all celebrating the unofficial holiday.

The first United States stamps, the 5¢ red-brown Benjamin Franklin (Scott 1) and and 10¢ black George Washington (Scott 2), were issued July 1, 1847.

2. Confederate symbols on stamps

"Stamp collectors need look no further than their own albums to find symbols relating to the old Confederate States of America. Besides stamps and postal history of the C.S.A. itself, there are U.S. stamps that portray icons of the Confederacy."

3. Shoe shopping

"If you agree with the maxim 'you can never have too many shoes,' you may want to start examining postage stamps for the variety of footwear found there."

4. Spink sale

"The July 15-16 Spink USA Philatelic Collector's Series Sale in New York City features an appealing selection of United States, Canada, British Commonwealth, Asia and worldwide, plus original artwork for a number of United Nations stamps, collections and accumulations, and much more."

5. Hot topics

Read the top three stories of the last seven days:

1. Coastal Birds press sheets sold out
2. U.S. Paul Newman commemorative Sept. 18
3. U.S. Coast Guard first-day ceremony at USCG headquarters in Washington