Key Events in U.S. Postal History

  • 1775: Benjamin Franklin named first postmaster general
  • 1825: Dead letter office
  • 1847: Postage Stamps
  • 1858: Street letter boxes
  • 1860: Pony Express
  • 1863: Free city delivery
  • 1885: Special delivery
  • 1911: Carry mail by airplane: Earl H. Ovington first pilot
  • 1913: C.O.D.
  • 1916: Postal inspectors solve last known stagecoach robbery
  • 1920: First transcontinental air mail
  • 1955: Certified mail
  • 1963: Zip code
  • 1977: Express mail
  • 1983: Zip + 4
  • 1985: Jackie Strange: first female deputy postmaster general
  • 1990: Easy Stamp: purchase of stamps through computers

U.S. Postal Service Price Increase Timeline

  • July 1, 1919: 2¢
  • July 8, 1932: 3¢
  • Aug 1, 1958: 4¢
  • Jan 7, 1963: 5¢
  • Jan 7, 1968: 6¢
  • May 16, 1971: 8¢
  • Mar 2, 1974: 10¢
  • Dec 31, 1975: 13¢
  • May 29, 1978: 15¢
  • Mar 22, 1981: 18¢
  • Nov 1, 1981: 20¢
  • Feb 17, 1985: 22¢
  • Apr 3, 1988: 25¢
  • Feb 3, 1991: 29¢
  • Jan 1, 1995: 32¢
  • Jan 10, 1999: 33¢
  • Jan 7, 2001: 34¢
  • Jan 30, 2002: 37¢
  • Jan 8, 2006: 39¢
  • May 14, 2007: 41¢
National Postal Museum

Five Best Postal Songs

  • Please Mr. Postman
  • Fan Mail
  • The Letter
  • Take a Letter Maria
  • Return to Sender