Timeline of postal history

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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.

[edit] 1810s

[edit] 1820s

1825 - The US establishes a dead letter office.

[edit] 1830s

[edit] 1840s

1840 May 1 - United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland 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.
1847 - 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 - first stamps of Belgium

[edit] 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.
1850 - Spain 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.
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.

[edit] 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 - 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

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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

[edit] 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
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

[edit] 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

[edit] 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

[edit] 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
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

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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
1948 - Pakistan issues its first stamps.
1949 - Newfoundland issues its last stamps.
1949 July 18 - Ryūkyū Islands issues its first stamps.

[edit] 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 - The USS Barbero and United States Postal Service attempt the delivery of mail via Missile Mail.

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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.