The postage stamps of the 1950s and 1960s, from all over the world, are full of hope for the future. There are Soviet rockets, Nigerian stamps showing "the peaceful use of outer space," and Israeli paeans to industry.
The amazing Karen Horton has been posting a set of her mom's old stamp collection on Flickr, and it's like a window into a future that never was. Here are our favorite stamps from her set, that depict space exploration or technology in a hopeful — not to mention insanely cool — fashion. Check out the rest, and bigger versions, over at the link. [Karen Horton on Flickr]
Soviet rocket ship
Nigerian stamp — peaceful use of outer space
Romanian stamp — Early Bird
Dutch postage stamp — cooling towers
Polish postage stamp
Germany/DDR postage stamp: electronics
Romanian stamp, space exploration
Israeli stamp celebrating aviation
Israeli stamp celebrating aviation
Bulgarian stamp — space ship
Iraqi stamp, air mail
Indonesian postage stamp: trains
Romanian postage stamp: telegraph
Spanish postage stamp: Brussels expo 1958
British Solomon Islands: International Telecommunication Union centerary
