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

Seventeenth Century

  • 1639 - Richard Fairbanks' tavern in Boston named repository for overseas mail

Eighteenth Century

1810s

1820s

1830s

  • 1830 - US Office of Instructions and Mail Depredations established, later Office of the Chief Postal Inspector
  • 1838 - Railroads designated post routes by U Congress

1840s

1850s

1860s

1870s

1880s

1890s

1900s

1910s

1920s

1930s

1940s

  • 1941 - US Highway post offices
  • 1942 - US V-mail
  • 1943 - US Postal zoning system in 124 major post offices
  • 1945 May - provisional stamps issued for Austria
  • 1946 - first stamps of independent Jordan
  • 1948 - British postal administration takes over in Bahrain
  • 1948 - US Parcel post international air service
  • 1948 - US Parcel post domestic air service
  • 1949 July 18 - first stamps of Ryukyu Islands

1950s

1960s

1970s

  • 1970 - MAILGRAM
  • 1970 - US Postal Reorganization Act
  • 1970 - US Express Mail, experimental
  • 1971 - United States Postal Service began operation; Postmaster General no longer in Cabinet
  • 1971 - Labor contract achieved through collective bargaining for the first time in history of US federal government
  • 1971 - US Star routes changed to highway contract routes
  • 1971 - US National service standards established: overnight delivery of 95% of airmail within 600]] miles and 95% of First-Class Mail within local areas
  • 1971 July 29 - first stamps of Bangladesh
  • 1972 - US Stamps by mail
  • 1972 - US Passport applications accepted in post offices
  • 1973 - US National service standards expanded to include second-day delivery of parcel post traveling up to 150]] miles, with one-day delivery time added for each additional 400]] miles
  • 1973 June 1 - first stamps of Belize
  • 1974 - Highway post offices terminated
  • 1974 - First satellite transmission of MAILGRAMs
  • 1975 November 11 - first stamp of independent Angola
  • 1975 December 8 - first stamps of renamed Benin
  • 1976 - Post office class categories eliminated
  • 1976 - Discount for presorted First-Class Mail
  • 1977 - US Airmail abolished as a separate rate category
  • 1977 - US Express Mail, permanent new class of service
  • 1977 - Final run of US railroad post office on June 30
  • 1978 - US Discount for presorted second-class mail
  • 1978 - US Postage stamps and other philatelic items copyrighted
  • 1979 - US Discount for presorted bulk third-class mail
  • 1979 - US Postal Career Executive Service (PCES)
  • 1979 July 12 - first stamps of Kiribati
  • 1979 - Canal Zone transferred to Panama along with postal service

1980s

  • 1980 - US New standards require envelopes and postcards to be at least 3 1/2" high and 5" long to be mailable
  • 1980 - INTELPOST (high-speed international electronic message service)
  • 1981 - US Controlled circulation classification discontinued
  • 1981 - US Discount for First-Class Mail presorted to carrier routes
  • 1982 - US Automation begins with installation of optical character readers
  • 1982 - US E-COM (Electronic Computer-Originated Mail, electronic message service with hard copy delivery)
  • 1983 - US ZIP + 4
  • 1983 - Ended public service subsidy from US federal government
  • 1984 - US Integrated retail terminals automate postal windows
  • 1984 November 21 - first stamps of Burkina Faso
  • 1985 - Jackie Strange, first female Deputy US Postmaster General
  • 1985 - US E-COM terminated
  • 1986 - International Priority Airmail
  • 1986 - US Postal Service realigned; field divisions created
  • 1986 January 1 - first stamps of Aruba
  • 1987 - US Small parcel and bundle sorters
  • 1987 - US Stamps by phone
  • 1987 - US Multiline optical character readers ordered
  • 1988 - US Inspector General's Act extends duties of Chief Postal Inspector
  • 1989 - Universal Postal Union Congress in Washington, DC

1990s

  • 1990 - US Wide area barcode readers
  • 1990 - US Easy Stamp, allowing purchase of stamps through computers
  • 1990 - US International business reply service
  • 1991 - US Independent measurement of First-Class Mail service
  • 1992 - US Remote barcoding system
  • 1992 - USPS Reorganization: regions, divisions and management sectional centers replaced by area and district offices for customer service and mail processing
  • 1992 - US Stamps sold through automatic teller machines
  • 1992 March 20 - first stamps of Belarus
  • 1992 March 26 - Axerbaijan resumes issuing stamps
  • 1992 - first stamps of Kazakhstan

2000s

Source