You probably don’t think of the post office too often, but you should. Here are four fascinating facts about the United States Postal Service.
When you think about the United States Postal Service, you probably imagine carriers in blue shirts and shorts carrying big bags of mail from house to house. While it’s not the oldest postal system in the world—that honor goes to the Correio Público-Public Post Office of Portugal—the USPS is a venerable and healthy one. Learn four fascinating facts about the United States Postal Service to better appreciate this essential service!
The USPS Grew Up With Our Country
The Second Continental Congress established the first post office in the United States a year before the signing of the Declaration of Independence—before the USA was an independent country! Benjamin Franklin, known for his patriotism and scientific studies, was also America’s first postmaster general. Franklin held office until November 7, 1776. The US Constitution ratified and fully formed the USPS in 1792.
The USPS Is a Bustling Business
The USPS is a sizable part of the federal government. Established by Congress, part of its mention in the Constitution states that the USPS requires post offices and post roads—roads designated for the delivery of mail. Nowadays, that adds up to carriers traveling and delivering on more than 1.3 billion miles of post roads every year. The USPS is both a business and a public service, sustaining itself through the sale of stamps, services and other products.
Famous Postmasters
While the Postmaster General is the head honcho at the USPS, postmasters are individuals who run a specific post office. Another office of note is mailing superintendent, though more people are probably familiar with the postmaster’s role. There have been a few postmasters who went on to bigger things. Most famously, Abraham Lincoln ran the New Salem, Illinois, post office long before he became president.
USPS Slanguage
Here’s the last of our four fascinating facts about the United States Postal Service. Like any institution, the United States Postal Service has a selection of official terms and definitions for the services it provides, such as different types of community mailboxes.
But there are also internal words and descriptions for tools and processes you may be unfamiliar with. One obsolete term is “speedy bag.” This describes a clear plastic bag once used to hold special deliveries and keep them separate from the rest of the mail to keep them readily accessible. A “chunk” is a small parcel. A “freak” is a stamp that shows an error in printing or a similar issue. And if you’ve ever wondered about the “zip” in “zip code,” it stands for Zone Improvement Plan.
