Monuments to Postal History

Monuments to Postal History

U.S. Postal Service history is deeply entwined with America’s story. From our beginning, we’ve played a pivotal role in some ...
The first U.S. Christmas stamp was issued Nov. 1, 1962

The first U.S. Christmas stamp was issued Nov. 1, 1962

For years, customers had requested that the Post Office Department issue a Christmas-themed stamp. On Nov. 1, 1962, their holiday ...
The tribulations of how ZIP codes were woven into American (and Alaskan) life

The tribulations of how ZIP codes were woven into American (and Alaskan) life

The concept of ZIP codes, from the acronym Zone Improvement Plan, originated in the 1940s. Beginning in 1943, the Postal ...
How the Civil War Spawned the Mail-In Ballot

How the Civil War Spawned the Mail-In Ballot

The 1864 presidential election was the first time absentee voting was exercised at scale: Approximately 7.5 percent of the total ...
The Six Triple Eight: Tyler Perry Tells the True Story of the 6888th Battalion

The Six Triple Eight: Tyler Perry Tells the True Story of the 6888th Battalion

The 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion contributed to the war effort in a unique way: by sorting through a three-year ...
August 20th will be the 38th anniversary of the Edmond post office shooting

August 20th will be the 38th anniversary of the Edmond post office shooting

The Edmond post office shooting was a mass shooting that occurred in Edmond, Oklahoma, on August 20, 1986. In less than fifteen minutes, 44 year-old ...
President Nixon signed the Postal Reorganization Act on Aug. 12, 1970

President Nixon signed the Postal Reorganization Act on Aug. 12, 1970

Mere months after a historic wildcat strike brought the U.S. Mail to a standstill, President Richard M. Nixon signed the Postal Reorganization Act— ...
Post card that took 64 years to arrive in Levittown to be featured on CBS

Post card that took 64 years to arrive in Levittown to be featured on CBS

The post card had been sent from the Ocean Surf Motel in Miami Beach to “Mrs. E. Muddiman” of Steeplebush ...
Southington veteran delivered joy and mail

Southington veteran delivered joy and mail

Hogan was assigned to the postal service, first on the West Coast and then on the East Coast, during the ...
Benjamin Franklin began his tenure as postmaster general on July 26, 1775

Benjamin Franklin began his tenure as postmaster general on July 26, 1775

On July 26, 1775, the Second Continental Congress voted to create a postal system in the Colonies and selected Benjamin ...