STAMP OF GREATNESS

With the Martin Luther King African-American Heritage Rodeo of Champions slotted for 6 tonight, we thought we'd remember one of the most memorable Black rodeo performers - Bill Pickett.

Pickett, whose parents were both former slaves, is credited with inventing steer wrestling in 1903 after encountering a stubborn Texas longhorn steer.

Known as "The Dusky Demon" and the "Bull-Dogger," Pickett became the first black cowboy to be inducted into the Rodeo Hall of Fame. Despite his many rodeo feats, however, Pickett became well known for another reason.

When a postage stamp meant to honor Pickett was unveiled in 1993, it was discovered that it pictured his brother Ben, not Bill - one of the most infamous stamp errors in U.S. history.

Just as corrected stamps hit the presses, another problem arose. It turns out that postal clerks had sold 183 of the incorrect stamp panes, creating a collectible so rare and valuable most collectors wouldn't be able to afford one.

To give the public a chance to own the incorrect stamps and to defray reprinting costs, the Postal Service made the controversial decision to sell 150,000 of the faulty panes through a lottery.

Sources: postalmuseum.si.edu/ and blackcowboys.com

THIS LITTLE PIGGY WENT TO MARKET

In anticipation of today's and Tuesday's swine events, here's some facts to wallow in.

* A pig is born with sharp needle teeth that can leave small cuts on the sow's udders, causing her to lie on her stomach and refuse to nurse. To prevent this, the needle teeth are clipped off.

* If you've ever seen a pig that looks like his ears have had a run-in with a pair of scissors, this piglet's been permanently identified. Ear notching

is one of the most common ways of identifying pigs.

* Hogs are powerful medicine. They are used in nearly 40 drugs and pharmaceuticals, and hog heart valves can be used to replace damaged or diseased human heart valves.

Source: National Western