Timeline of postal history
This is a timeline of significant events in postal history, including dates relating to postage stamps.
- 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.
- 1680 - The first penny post system, known as the London Penny Post, for local delivery was introduced by William Dockwra in London.
- 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.
- 1825 - The US establishes a dead letter office.
- 1840 January 1 - Uniform Penny Post starts throughout the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.
- 1840 May 1 - United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland issues the Penny Black and Two pence blue, world's first postage stamps.
- 1840 May 6 - The Penny Black and Two pence blue, world's first postage stamps becomes valid for the pre-payment of postage.
- 1842 February 1 City Despatch Post New York local post.
- 1843 March 1 - Zürich issue their first stamps: Zurich 4 and Zurich 6.
- 1843 August 1 - Bull's Eyes, first stamps of Brazil
- 1843 September 30 - Geneva issue their first stamps: Double Geneva.
- 1845 - New York Postmaster's Provisional
- 1845 - The US star routes begin operation.
- 1847 July 1 The United States issues its first stamps.
- 1847 September 21 Mauritius issues its first stamps, the Red Penny and Blue Penny.
- 1848 - first use of Perot Provisionals in Bermuda
- 1849 January 1 - first stamps of France
- 1849 July 1 first stamps of Belgium
- 1849 November 1 first stamps of Bavaria
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- 1850 January 1 New South Wales issues its first stamps.
- 1850 January 1 Spain issues its first stamps.
- 1850 January 3 Victoria issues its first stamps.
- 1850 April 7 Federal Switzerland issues its first stamps.
- 1850 June 1 Austria and Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia issue their first stamps.
- 1850 June 29 Saxony issues its first stamps.
- 1850 July 1 British Guiana issues its first stamps.
- 1850 November 15 Prussia issues its first stamps.
- 1851 April 23 - The Province of Canada issues its first stamp, the Three-Penny Beaver, designed by Sandford Fleming.
- 1851 - Kingdom of Hawaii issues Hawaiian Missionaries, first stamps.
- 1852 - New Brunswick issues its first stamps.
- 1852 - The Netherlands 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.
- 1855 - first stamps of New Zealand
- 1856 - August 1 - first stamps of Mexico
- 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 - July 21 - Moldavia (now part of Romania) 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.
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- 1860 - First stamps of malta under british command
- 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.
- 1863 - First stamps issued by the Ottoman Empire.
- 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 - first stamps of Serbia
- 1866 - British Honduras issues its first stamps.
- 1866 - Lombardy-Venetia annexed to Italy, including postal services
- 1866 - first stamps of Egypt
- 1867 - first stamps of Bolivia
- 1867 - first stamps of Austrian post offices in the Turkish Empire
- 1868 - first stamps of Azores
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- 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.
- 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
- 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
- 1894 - first stamps of Somali Coast (today Djibouti)
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 1920 - plebiscite stamps for Allenstein
- 1920 - largest private US postage company, Pitney Bowes formed.
- 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
- 1922 - first stamps of Irish Free State
- 1923 - first stamps of Jordan (as British mandate)
- 1923 - first stamps of Transcaucasian SFSR, superseding those of Armenia
- 1923 - first stamps of Iraq
- 1923 - first stamps of Kuwait
- 1924 - first stamps of Algeria
- 1925 - first stamps of Alaouites
- 1928 - first stamps of Spanish Andorra
- 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.
- 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
- 1947 - India gains independence from Britain
- 1948 - British postal administration takes over in Bahrain
- 1948 - Pakistan issues its first stamps.
- 1949 - Newfoundland issues its last stamps.
- 1949 July 18 - Ryukyu Islands issues its first stamps.
- 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 - The USS Barbero and United States Postal Service attempt the delivery of mail via Missile Mail.
- 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 - First stamps isseud by independent Republic of Malta.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
- 1992 March 20 - Belarus issues its first stamps.
- 1992 March 26 - Azerbaijan resumes issuing stamps.
- 1992 - Kazakhstan issues its first stamps.
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