Timeline of postal history

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

Sixteenth Century

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

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.

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.

1810s

1820s

* 1825 - The US establishes a dead letter office.
* 1828 - Hellenic postal service established.

1830s

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

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

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.

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

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.

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

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 - January 2 first stamps of British South Africa Company, Rhodesia
* 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

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

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

1920s

* 1920 - plebiscite stamps for Allenstein
* 1920 - largest private US postage company, Pitney Bowes formed.
* 1920 - first stamps of French Upper Volta
* 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 [http://stamps.come2jordan.com/ 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

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.

1940s

* 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 [http://stamps.come2jordan.com/ 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.

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 - The Republic of Upper Volta issues its first stamps.
* 1959 - The USS "Barbero" and United States Postal Service attempt the delivery of mail via Missile Mail.

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 - 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.

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.

1980s

* 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

1990s

* 1992 March 20 - Belarus issues its first stamps.
* 1992 March 26 - Azerbaijan resumes issuing stamps.
* 1992 - Kazakhstan issues its first stamps.

2000s

* 2007 April 12 - USPS issues a non-denominated stamp called the "forever stamp"