Timeline of postal history

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

[edit] Sixteenth Century

1516 – Henry VIII established a "Master of the Posts"

[edit] Seventeenth Century

1635 July 31 – 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".
1680 - The first penny post system, known as the London Penny Post, for local delivery was introduced by William Dockwra in London.

[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.
1828 - Hellenic postal service established.

[edit] 1830s

1930 – First mail train in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.
1839 December 5 - Uniform Fourpence Post starts throughout the UK.

[edit] 1840s

1840 January 10 - Uniform Penny Post starts throughout the UK.
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 Mauritius "Post Office" stamps, or 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

[edit] 1850s

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 - first stamps of Portugal
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.

[edit] 1860s

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
1861 October 1 - first stamps of Hellas
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

[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 Republic of the United States of Brazil
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