3 Things You Didn’t Know About the US Postal Service

Established by the federal government and the first postmaster general, Benjamin Franklin (yes, that Ben Franklin!), in 1775, the United States Postal Service has safely handled and delivered mail for 250 years. Here are three things you probably didn’t know about the US Postal Service and what it provides.

Recipients Used To Pay for Their Mail

Originally, people didn’t use stamps on letters. Instead, the recipient had to pay the postage to the carrier upon delivery. As you can imagine, this slowed down delivery, and many people refused to pay for unwanted mail. Mail would therefore pile up back at the post office.

The USPS issued its first prepaid adhesive stamps in 1847. The first stamps featured Benjamin Franklin and George Washington. Stamps were originally not perforated and had to be cut from a sheet with scissors.

Commemorative Stamps Began in 1893

Commemorative stamps are issued to celebrate a certain person, place, or event. The USPS’s first-ever commemorative stamp was created in conjunction with the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893. Postmaster General John Wanamaker saw an opportunity to raise money for the Postal Service by creating a stamp for collectors.

The most popular USPS commemorative stamp of all time was the 1992 Elvis Presley stamp. US citizens were even given an opportunity to vote on whether a younger or older Elvis would appear on the stamp.

Mailboxes Weren’t Always Blue

USPS centralized mailboxes haven’t always had their distinctive dark-blue coloring. In fact, it wasn’t until the USPS underwent a massive reorganization in 1971 that mailboxes became blue.

Originally, people dropped off their mail at the post office or handed it directly to their mail carrier for delivery. The first public mailboxes appeared in New York City and other northeast cities sometime in the 1850s. By the 1880s, for added security, the boxes were made from iron. The first standing mailboxes as we might identify them showed up in the 1950s, going from red to green and, finally, to blue.

The USPS also has a say in how individual or centralized mailboxes are positioned, constructed, and used. For instance, boxes must be positioned no more than 45 inches above the road. They should accommodate a reasonable amount of mail, they can’t feature any advertising, and—if equipped with a carrier signal flag—that flag must be red or orange.

Those are just three things you didn’t know about the US Postal Service. Contact us if you have any further questions about mailboxes or any of the many products and services we provide at Postal Supply!