First class postage goes up to 44 cents on May 11.

As a high school senior in 2007, Trevor Dickerson couldn't believe how many historic structures on the west side of Richmond, Va., were being torn down. Development in the once-quaint Short Pump area was simply "out of control," Dickerson says, lamenting the loss of "the things that have significance, things that will never be built again." Compelled to do what he could, Dickerson began photographing buildings slated for demolition. In 2008, Preservation Virginia presented Dickerson, now a communications major at Virginia Commonwealth University, with its first-ever Young Preservationist of the Year Award. http://www.preservationnation.org/magazine/2009/may-june/trevor-dickerson.html

May is Preservation Month—the ideal time for you to stand up and be counted. This year, PiP is focusing on greater Boston. At PartnersinPreservation.com you can vote for one of 25 local landmarks you would like to see preserved using PiP funds. Sites under consideration range from a local aquarium to several arts centers to Louisa May Alcott's Orchard House to a school for the blind. All are vying for a portion of $1 million in PiP grant assistance.
http://www.preservationnation.org/magazine/2009/may-june/cast-your-ballot.html

Historic St. Mary's City, the site of the fourth permanent settlement in British North America, was Maryland's first capital. http://www.stmaryscity.org/

List of capitals in the United States http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_capitals_in_the_United_States
Note: site also lists former state capitals and
• 3 Former national capitals
o 3.1 United States of America
o 3.2 Vermont Republic
o 3.3 Kingdom and Republic of Hawaii
o 3.4 Republic of Texas
o 3.5 Confederate States of America
• 4 Unrecognized national capitals
o 4.1 State of Franklin
o 4.2 State of Muskogee
o 4.3 Republic of West Florida
o 4.4 Republic of Indian Stream
o 4.5 Republic of the Rio Grande
o 4.6 California Republic
U.S. history timeline, 1789-1790
February 4, 1789 - Ballots are cast in the first presidential election, to be counted on April 6.
March 4, 1789 - The first Congress convenes in New York City, but is unable to achieve a quorum, since most members are still traveling there.
April 1, 1789 - A quorum is reached in Congress with 30 of 59 members present and the House of Representatives begins to function. Of the 59 members, 54 had also been delegates to the constitutional convention.
April 6, 1789 - In the Senate, with 9 of 22 senators present, the presidential ballots cast on Feb. 4 are counted. George Washington is the unanimous choice for President with 69 votes. John Adams is elected Vice President with 34 votes. Messengers are then sent to inform Washington and Adams.
June 1, 1789 - In its first act, Congress establishes the procedure for administering oaths of office.
July 4, 1789 - Congress passes its first tax, an 8.5 percent protective tax on 30 different items, with items arriving on American ships charged at a lower rate than foreign ships.
September 22, 1789 - The Federal Judiciary Act passed by Congress establishes a six-man Supreme Court, attorney general, 13 federal district courts and 3 circuit courts. All federal cases would originate in the district court and, if appealed, would go to the circuit court and from there to the Supreme Court.
September 25, 1789 - Congress submits 12 proposed constitutional amendments to the states for ratification. The first ten will be ratified and added to the Constitution in 1791 as the Bill of Rights.
November 26, 1789 - A Day of Thanksgiving is established by a congressional resolution and a proclamation by George Washington.
March 1, 1790 - A Census Act is passed by Congress. The first census, finished on Aug. 1, indicates a total population of nearly 4 million persons in the U.S. and western territories. African Americans make up 19 percent of the population, with 90 percent living in the South. Native Americans were not counted, although there were likely over 80 tribes with 150,000 persons. For white Americans, the average age is under 16. Most white families are large, with an average of eight children born. The white population will double every 22 years.
The largest American city is Philadelphia, with 42,000 persons, followed by New York (33,000) Boston (18,000) Charleston (16,000) and Baltimore (13,000). The majority of Americans are involved in agricultural pursuits, with little industrial activity occurring at this time.
July 10, 1790 - The House of Representatives votes to locate the national capital on a 10 square-mile site along the Potomac, with President George Washington choosing the exact location. http://www.historyplace.com/unitedstates/revolution/rev-nation.htm

The 1790 census showed a population of 3,929,214.
The 2006 census showed a population of 300,009,716 .
See chart and table, 1790-2006 at http://govpubs.lib.umn.edu/census/popchart.phtml
Note: Population percentage rise between 1790 and 2006 is 7400%--we live in a large country in area and we have a large population as well.

May 11 is the birthday of songwriter Irving Berlin, born Israel Baline in Eastern Russia (1888). He wrote more than 1,500 songs, including the classics "Blue Skies," "Puttin' on the Ritz," "God Bless America," "White Christmas," and "There's No Business Like Show Business."
May 11 is the birthday of surrealist painter Salvador Dali, born in Figueras, Spain (1904). He was influenced by the theories of Sigmund Freud, and he made what he called "hand-painted dream photographs." He painted distorted human figures, limp pocket watches, and burning giraffes. He was a born performer who relished an audience, and he found that audience when he moved to America in 1940.
May 11 is the anniversary of the printing of the first known book. In the year 868, Wang Chieh printed the Diamond Sutra, a Buddhist scripture, on a 16-foot scroll using wood blocks. It was discovered in 1907 in Turkestan, among 40,000 books and manuscripts walled up in one of the Caves of the Thousand Buddhas.
The Writer’s Almanac