I went to the Inernational Stamp Expo. It comes to America every ten years. And in 2026 it came to Boston.

There were a whole lot of amazing things at the Expo and of course the US postal service had a strong presence.

They also had a nice display sowing the history of the US Postal Service. And I thought you might be interested in it so I have written it down right here for you.

Note that I have a whole lot about the Stamp expo in Boston including pictures of the Inverted Jenny. You can check that all out here: The 2026 Boston Stamp Expo

• 1775 - The First Postmaster General - On July 26, 1775, a year before declaring independence from Great Britain, the Second Continental Congress appoints Benjamin Franklin as Postmaster General of the colonies. Because he holds the office on July 4, 1776, he becomes the first Postermaster General of the new United States. Our Founding Fathers knew that a robust, reliable, and secure means of exchanging information was critical to unify the distant parts of our nation-and to maintain unity once we achieved independence.
• 1792 - United States Post Office Department - (Predecessor of the USPS) established with the Post Office Act of 1792.
• 1813 - Congress authorizes steamboats and steamships to carry mail if it was not more expensive than sending mail by land; in 1815 the Postmaster was authorized to set the terms and prioritize expediency.
• 1832 - First contract authorized for railroads to carry U.S. mail.
• 1847 - First official U.S. Postage stamps were issued.

• 1853 - The first printed, stamped envelopes were produced by the Post Office Department on July 1, 1853 and purchased and franked for resale by private companies.
• 1858 - Street Letter boxes begin to be installed
• 1860 - The Pony Express begins operation and runs from April to October 1861.

• 1896 - The Post office Department begins it's first experiments with Rural free Delivery (R.F.D.) in West Virginia
• 1918 - Airmail takes flight

• 1920 - Postage meters authorized for use in the U.S.
• 1942 - V-Mail enables rapid communication between the war zone and the home front.
• 1971 - The Postal service begins operations as an independent agency following the Postal Reorganization Act.
• 1974 - The first Self-adhesive stamp was issued. It is a 10cent Peace on Earth Christmas stamp.

• 1991 - Priority Mail and Express Mail Flat Rate envelopes introduced.
• 1992 - Nationwide rollout of self-adhesive stamps
• 1993 - The Smithsonian National Postal Museum opens.
• 1994 - USPS website launched. now USPS.com
• 1998 -First U.S. semipostal stamp issued - A sempostal stamp is issued at a higher price than normal postage -the balance is donated to a particular cause or charity.

• 2004 - Priority Mail Flat Rate Box introduced - If it fits, it ships.
• 2007 First Forever stamp issued

• 2014 - Sunday package delivery begins in high-volume areas during winter holidays.
• 2017 - Informed Delivery service becomes available nationwide.
• 2020 - More than 40% of America voters cast ballots by mail.
• 2021 - USPS publishes the Delivering for America plan to modernize and revitalize into a more competitive and financially sustainable organization.
• 2024 - The first Next Generation Delivery Vehicles are deployed.
• 2025 - USPS celebrates 250 years of service to the American People.