Timeline of postal history

This is a partial timeline of significant events in postal history, including dates and events relating to postage stamps.

First century

  • Cursus publicus, the state-run courier (and transportation) service of the Roman Empire was established by Augustus.

Fifteenth century

Sixteenth century

  • 1516 – Henry VIII established a "Master of the Posts"
  • 1520 - Manuel I creates the public mail service of Portugal, the Correio Público-Public Post Office.

Seventeenth century

  • 1635, 31 July - Charles I made the Royal Mail service available to the public for the first time with postage being paid by the recipient.
  • 1639 - The General Court of Massachusetts designates the tavern of Richard Fairbanks in Boston as the official repository of overseas mail, making it the first postal establishment in the 13 colonies.
  • 1654 - Oliver Cromwell grants monopoly over service in England to "Office of Postage".
  • 1660 - General Post Office established in England by Charles II.
  • 1663 - England's Imperial Post Office is established in the Colony of Barbados.
  • 1663 - Portugal's Correio-Mor das Cartas do Mar is established in Rio de Janeiro by the 7th High-Courier of the Kingdom of Portugal, Luís Gomes da Mata.
  • 1671 - King Louis XIV grants monopoly over service in Paris to the family Pagot and Rouillé.[2]
  • 1675 - Beat Fischer von Reichenbach granted permission to operate a private postal service in Bern, Switzerland.
  • 1680 - The first penny post system, known as the London Penny Post, for local delivery was introduced by William Dockwra in London.
  • 1690 – Leon II Pajot builds a privately operated postal center on 9 rue des Déchargeurs in Paris [3] - International Horse Carriages carry Mail from Paris to Pajot et Rouillé or Thurn und Taxis Post relais around western Europe. The building, the Hotel de Villeroy still exists, it is used today for private apartments and for the exposition center Cremerie de Paris, the private courtyard can be visited by the public certain days in the summer.

Eighteenth century

1820s

  • 1825 - The US establishes a dead letter office.
  • 1828 - Hellenic postal service established.

1830s

1840s

1850s

1860s

1870s

1880s

1890s

1900s

1910s

  • 1911 - January 1 - first stamps of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands.
  • 1911 - United States creates a postal savings system.
  • 1912 - last stamps of Anjouan, superseded by Madagascar
  • 1913 - first stamps of Australia, superseding those of the various former colonies
  • 1913 5 May - first stamps of Albania
  • 1913 - United States initiates parcel post service, using special stamps.
  • 1915 - 15 August - British forces overprint Iranian stamps in Bushire, use until 16 October.
  • 1915 - British and French occupation forces overprint stamps for Cameroon.
  • 1916 - United States postal inspectors solve the last known stagecoach robbery in the US.
  • 1917- British armed forces in Palestine issue the famous EEF stamps. December 1917
  • 1918 - United States issues its first airmail stamps; a sheet of the Inverted Jenny is discovered among them.
  • 1918 - first stamps of the Italian occupation of Trieste and Trentino
  • 1919 - first stamps of Armenia and Azerbaijan
  • 1919 - first stamps of Batum

1920s

1930s

  • 1931 16 June - first stamps of French Andorra
  • 1933 10 August - first stamps of Bahrain, issued by Indian postal administration
  • 1933 1 December - first stamps of Basutoland
  • 1935 May - common issue of stamps for Silver Jubilee of King George V
  • 1935 15 November - first stamps of Commonwealth of the Philippines
  • 1935 - first stamps of Kenya, Uganda, Tanganyika
  • 1935 - United States initiates Trans-Pacific airmail service.
  • 1937 1 April - first stamps of Aden
  • 1937 1 April - first stamps of Burma, overprints on India
  • 1937 12 May - common issue of stamps for coronation of King George VI
  • 1938 14 April - stamps issued for Alexandretta, last on 10 November
  • 1938 - Austrian stamps are phased out after the Anschluss.
  • 1939 - Postal censorship introduced in several countries, both combatants and neutrals, involved in World War II

1940s

  • 1940 - Pitcairn Islands issue their first stamps.
  • 1941 - United States creates highway post offices.
  • 1942 - United States uses V-mail to handle armed forces' mail.
  • 1945 May - provisional stamps issued for Austria
  • 1946 - first stamps of independent Jordan[6]
  • 1947 - India gains independence from Britain
  • 1948 - Israel issues its first stamps-The Doar Ivri set. 16 May 1948 [The new country still has no name]
  • 1948 - Israel issues its first Israel stamps with the word ISRAEL on the stamps. 26 September 1948
  • 1948 - British postal administration takes over in Bahrain
  • 1948 - Pakistan issues its first stamps.
  • 1949 - Newfoundland joins Canada and issues its last stamps.
  • 1949 18 July - Ryukyu Islands issues its first stamps.

1950s

1960s

1970s

  • 1970 - United States passes Postal Reorganization Act, which changed the postal service from a government department to a corporation owned by the government.
  • 1970 - United States initiates experimental express mail service, makes it permanent in 1977.
  • 1971 - United States Postal Service begins operation as a corporation.
  • 1971 1 April - Canadian six-character postal codes introduced.
  • 1971 29 July - Bangladesh issues its first stamps.
  • 1973 1 June - Belize issues its first stamps.
  • 1974 - United States ends its use of highway post offices.
  • 1975 11 November - first stamp of independent Angola
  • 1975 8 December - first stamps of renamed Benin
  • 1976 1 January - first stamps of Tuvalu, formerly the Ellice Islands.
  • 1976 1 January - first stamps of the Gilbert Islands (changed to Kiribati in 1979)
  • 1977 30 June - United States ends use of railroad post offices.
  • 1978 - United States begins to copyright postage stamps and other philatelic items.
  • 1979 12 July - first stamps of Kiribati, formerly the Gilbert Islands.
  • 1979 - Canal Zone transferred to Panama along with postal service.

1980s

  • 1982 - United States introduces E-COM, an electronic message service.
  • 1983 - United States introduces ZIP + 4.
  • 1984 21 November - first stamps of Burkina Faso
  • 1985 - Jackie Strange, first female Deputy US Postmaster General
  • 1985 - United States terminates E-COM service.
  • 1986 1 January - first stamps of Aruba

1990s

  • 1992 20 March - Belarus issues its first stamps.
  • 1992 26 March - Azerbaijan resumes issuing stamps.
  • 1992 - Kazakhstan issues its first stamps.
  • 1994 28 January - Canada issues the world's first 2 part customizable greetings stamps.

2000s

  • 2000, 28 December - Canada issues the world's first 2 part personalized photo stamps, called "Picture Postage".
  • 2007, 12 April - USPS issues a non-denominated stamp called the forever stamp
  • 2011, 13 July - newly independent South Sudan issues its first postage stamps.
  • 2015, 1 February -Megan Brennan appointed first female US Postmaster General

References

  1. ↑ From the Thurn & Taxis to the Phone Book of the World, 730 years of Telecom history.
  2. ↑ Cremerie de Paris, a still actif Telecom Landmark.
  3. ↑ Cremerie de Paris, a still actif Telecom Landmark.
  4. ↑ Cremerie de Paris, a still actif Telecom Landmark.
  5. ↑ From the Thurn & Taxis to the Phone Book of the World, 730 years of Telecom history.
  6. ↑

Further reading

  • Wood, Kenneth A. Post Dates: A Chronology of Intriguing Events in the Mails and Philately. Albany, OR.: Van Dahl Publications, 1985 ISBN 0-934466-08-4 370p.
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