Timeline of postal history
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This is a timeline of significant events in postal history, including dates relating to postage stamps.
Seventeenth Century
- 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.
Eighteenth Century
- 1775 - The Continental Congress appoints Benjamin Franklin to be the first United States Postmaster General.
- 1792 February 20 - The US Postal Service Act establishes the United States Post Office Department.
1810s
1820s
- 1825 - The US establishes a dead letter office.
1830s
1840s
- 1840 May 1 - Britain issues the Penny Black, world's first postage stamp.
- 1840 May 6 - The Penny Black, world's first postage stamp becomes valid for the pre-payment of postage.
- 1843 April - Zürich and Geneva issue their first stamps.
- 1843 August 1 - Bull's Eyes, first stamps of Brazil
- 1845 - New York Postmaster's Provisional
- 1845 - The US star routes begin operation.
- 1847 - The United States issues its first stamps.
- 1848 - first use of Perot Provisionals in Bermuda
- 1849 January 1 - first stamps of France
- 1849 - first stamps of Belgium
1850s
- 1850 - Austria and Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia issue their first stamps.
- 1850 - British Guiana issues its first stamps.
- 1850 - Federal Switzerland issues its first stamps.
- 1850 - New South Wales issues its first stamps.
- 1850 - Victoria issues its first stamps.
- 1851 - Kingdom of Hawaii issues Hawaiian Missionaries, first stamps.
- 1852 - New Brunswick issues its first stamps.
- 1852 - Scinde Dawks in India
- 1852 - first stamps of Barbados
- 1852 - US issues its first stamped envelopes.
- 1853 November 1 - first stamps of Tasmania
- 1854 - first stamps of India
- 1854 - first stamps of Western Australia
- 1855 - first stamps of South Australia
- 1855 - US initiates registered mail service.
- 1855 - US makes prepayment of postage compulsory.
- 1856 August 21 - first stamps of Corrientes
- 1856 - first stamps of Danish West Indies
- 1856 - British Guiana 1c magenta issued
- 1857 - Newfoundland issues its first stamps.
- 1858 April 29 - Buenos Aires issues its first stamps.
- 1858 May 1 - Argentine Confederation issues its first stamps.
- 1858 October 28 - Cordoba issues its first stamps.
- 1858 - London is divided into postal districts, precursor of UK Postcode System.
- 1859 - Bahamas issues its first stamps.
1860s
- 1860 November 1 - first stamps of Queensland
- 1860 - Jamaica issues its first stamps.
- 1860 - The Pony Express operates in the western United States for a short time.
- 1860 - A stamp is issued for British Columbia and Vancouver Island.
- 1861 - American Civil War begins, postmasters in South make provisional issues.
- 1861 - first stamps of Confederate States of America
- 1862 January 11 - first stamps of Argentine Republic
- 1862 - first stamps of Antigua
- 1863 - Bolivia lets a private contract for mail, rescinds it six weeks later.
- 1864 - United States establishes railroad post offices.
- 1865 November 1 - British Columbia issues first stamps.
- 1865 - Bermuda has its first regular stamp issue.
- 1865 - Vancouver Island issues first and only stamps solely for the island.
- 1866 - British Honduras issues its first stamps.
- 1866 - Lombardy-Venetia annexed to Italy, including postal services
- 1867 - first stamps of Bolivia
- 1867 - first stamps of Austrian post offices in the Turkish Empire
- 1868 - first stamps of Azores
1870s
- 1870 - Angola issues its first stamps.
- 1871 - Afghanistan issues its first stamps.
- 1871 April 20 - Japan issues its first stamps.
- 1873 - Iceland issues its first stamps.
- 1874 October 9 - General Postal Union (later Universal Postal Union) is formed.
- 1878 - General Postal Union becomes Universal Postal Union).
- 1879 June 1 - Bulgaria issues its first stamps.
1880s
- 1882 - stamps of Straits Settlements overprinted at Bangkok
- 1885 - United States initiates special delivery service.
- 1886 - first stamps of British Bechuanaland
- 1886 - first stamps of Congo Free State (Belgian Congo)
- 1888 - first stamps of Bechuanaland Protectorate
1890s
- 1890 - first stamps of the Brazilian Republic
- 1890 - first stamps of British East Africa
- 1891 - first stamps of British Central Africa
- 1892 - first stamps of Anjouan
- 1892 - first stamps of Angra
- 1892 - first stamps of Benin
- 1893 - Hawaiian monarchy overthrown, first stamps of republic
- 1895 - stamps of Dahomey supersede those of Benin
- 1896 - United States experiments with rural free delivery, is made permanent in 1902.
- 1897 - Germany issues first stamps for its colony of Cameroon.
- 1898 - stamps of Cuba under US military rule
- 1898 - Puerto Rico stamps issued under US administration
- 1899 - US stamps overprinted for use in Guam
- 1899 - first stamps of the Philippines, overprinted US issues
- 1899 - US stamps supersede those of Hawaii
1900s
- 1900 - first stamps of Kiauchau, German colony in China
- 1903 - first stamps of Aitutaki
- 1903 - first stamps of Austrian post offices in Crete
- 1904 - first stamps of Panama Canal Zone
- 1906 - first stamps of Brunei, overprints on Labuan
- 1908 - first stamps of Belgian Congo under Belgian administration
1910s
- 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 June - first stamps of Albania
- 1913 - United States initiates parcel post service, using special stamps.
- 1915 August 15 - British forces overprint Iranian stamps in Bushire, use until October 16.
- 1915 - British and French occupation forces overprint stamps for Cameroon.
- 1916 - United States postal inspectors solve the last known stagecoach robbery in the US.
- 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
- 1920 - plebiscite stamps for Allenstein
- 1920 - first stamps of Upper Volta as French colony
- 1920 June - first stamps of La Aguera
- 1921 - East Africa and Uganda Protectorates issues stamps.
- 1921 - France issues first stamps for its mandate of Cameroon.
- 1922 July 13 - Barbuda overprints stamps of Leeward Islands.
- 1922 - Karelia briefly independent, issues stamps
- 1922 - first stamps of Kenya and Uganda
- 1922 - first stamps of Ascension Island
- 1922 - last stamps of La Aguera
- 1923 - first stamps of Jordan (as British mandate)
- 1923 - first stamps of Transcaucasian Federated Republics, superseding those of Armenia
- 1924 - first stamps of Algeria
- 1925 - first stamps of Alaouites
- 1928 - first stamps of Spanish Andorra
1930s
- 1931 June 16 - first stamps of French Andorra
- 1933 August 10 - first stamps of Bahrain, issued by Indian postal administration
- 1933 December 1 - first stamps of Basutoland
- 1935 May - common issue of stamps for Silver Jubilee of King George V
- 1935 November 15 - first stamps of Commonwealth of the Philippines
- 1935 - first stamps of Kenya, Uganda, Tanganyika
- 1935 - United States initiates Trans-Pacific airmail service.
- 1937 April 1 - first stamps of Aden
- 1937 April 1 - first stamps of Burma, overprints on India
- 1937 May 12 - common issue of stamps for coronation of King George VI
- 1938 April 14 - stamps issued for Alexandretta, last on November 10
- 1938 - Austrian stamps are phased out after the Anschluss.
1940s
- 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
- 1947 - India gains independence from Britain
- 1948 - British postal administration takes over in Bahrain
- 1949 - Newfoundland issues its last stamps.
- 1949 July 18 - Ryukyu Islands issues its first stamps.
1950s
- 1951 - Cambodia issues its first stamps.
- 1951 - United Nations issues its first stamps.
- 1955 - United States initiates certified mail service.
- 1957 - United States establishes Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee to choose stamp designs
- 1958 April 23 - members of West Indies Federation make a joint stamp issue.
- 1959 - UK Postcode scheme introduced
- 1959 - Independent Upper Volta issues its first stamps.
- 1959 - A submarine sends missile mail to mainland Florida.
1960s
- 1960 July - Katanga secedes from Congo, issues stamps until 1961.
- 1960 October 1 - UK trust territory of the Cameroons issues stamps, in use into 1961.
- 1961 October 1 - Independent Cameroon issues its first stamps.
- 1962 April - Bhutan issues its first stamps.
- 1962 July 1 - Burundi issues its first stamps.
- 1963 - United States introduces the ZIP Code.
- 1963 February 1 - British Antarctic Territory issues its first stamps.
- 1963 December 12 - Kenya issues its first stamps.
- 1964 March 30 - Abu Dhabi issues its first stamps.
- 1964 June 20 - Ajman issues its first stamps.
- 1966 September 30 - first stamps of Botswana
- 1966 December 2 - first stamps of independent Barbados
- 1966 - United States ends its postal savings system.
- 1967 August 21 - first stamps of Afars and Issas
- 1967 September 4 - first stamps of Anguilla
- 1968 January 17 - first stamps of British Indian Ocean Territory
- 1968 November 19 - first regular stamps of Barbuda
- 1968 - United States initiates priority mail as a type of first-class mail.
1970s
- 1970 - United States passes Postal Reorganization Act, privatizing postal service.
- 1970 - United States initiates experimental express mail service, makes it permanent in 1977.
- 1971 - Privatized United States Postal Service begins operation.
- 1971 July 29 - Bangladesh issues its first stamps.
- 1973 June 1 - Belize issues its first stamps.
- 1974 - United States ends its use of highway post offices.
- 1975 November 11 - first stamp of independent Angola
- 1975 December 8 - first stamps of renamed Benin
- 1977 June 30 - United States ends use of railroad post offices.
- 1978 - United States begins to copyright postage stamps and other philatelic items.
- 1979 July 12 - first stamps of Kiribati
- 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 November 21 - first stamps of Burkina Faso
- 1985 - Jackie Strange, first female Deputy US Postmaster General
- 1985 - United States terminates E-COM service.
- 1986 January 1 - first stamps of Aruba
1990s
- 1992 March 20 - Belarus issues its first stamps.
- 1992 March 26 - Azerbaijan resumes issuing stamps.
- 1992 - Kazakhstan issues its first stamps.