|
postal services - events| 1635 | UK | A postal service begins in Britain with the introduction of a mail coach service between London, England, and Edinburgh, Scotland. The cost of postage depends on the distance covered. | | 1653 | France | The first postage stamps are produced, in Paris, France, enabling the sender rather than the receiver to pay the cost of postage. | | 19 April 1661 | UK | The English General Post Office introduces postmarks. | | 1 January 1673 | North America | The first regular mounted mail service is begun, between New York City and Boston, Massachusetts. The trip takes three weeks, with the rider changing horses along the way at scattered posts. This road, the Boston Post Road, is the first of many post roads in the North American colonies. | | 10 January 1840 | UK | The British Post Office official Rowland Hill introduces the penny post in Britain, with an agreed standard rate for postal deliveries which replaces fees based on the distance and difficulty of the route. | | 1 July 1847 | USA | The first adhesive postage stamps in the USA go on sale. | | 1852 | UK | The first pillar boxes in Britain are set up, in St Helier, Jersey.Though usually credited to Rowland Hill, the idea is probably the inspiration of the novelist and postal inspector Anthony Trollope. | | February 1854 | UK | The Penny Red, the first perforated stamp in Britain, is created by Henry Archer. | | 1860 | UK | British publisher Jeremiah Smith invents the self-adhesive envelope. | | 3 April 1860 | USA | The Pony Express begins mail service between St Louis, Missouri and Sacramento, California. Riders change horses at 157 stations along the 2,897 km/1800 mi route and mail takes ten days. Within a few months it is made obsolete by the establishment of the transcontinental telegraph system. | | 1 October 1870 | UK | The British Post Office issues the world's first postcards. | | 1 July 1872 | UK, Australia | A telegraph line is established between Britain and Australia. | | c. 1903 | United Kingdom | Postcards become very popular in Britain as more people go to the seaside for holidays. | | 1917 | United Kingdom | The postal district codes in London, England, are further classified by the addition of postal numbers. | | 1919 | United Kingdom, France | The first regular international civilian airmail service is set up between London, England, and Paris, France, by French aviators Maurice and Henri Farman. It is initially too expensive to catch on. | | 28 July 1959 | UK | The General Post Office introduces post codes and automatic sorting machines in Britain. | | 1 February 1961 | UK | The General Post Office introduces a recorded delivery service in Britain. |
How to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit webmaster's page for free fun content. |
?Sign in  |
|---|
|
|
|