Postal Letter

Who invented postal/zip codes?

Public Comments

1. good question
2. A postal code (known in various countries as a post code, postcode, or ZIP code) is a series of letters and/or digits appended to a postal address for the purpose of sorting mail. Germany was the world's first country with a postal code system in the early 1960s. The United States followed a couple of years later. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Postal_code) The US Postal Code (ZIP Code). http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blmailus4.htm London Postal Districts The first system, of ten sectors identified by letters, was introduced in 1858; the numbered subdivisions were a war-time measure and date from 1917. The 1917 subdivisions remain important, because they form the first part of the two-part modern postcode (so N1 1AA is an address in the old N1 district), and because they continue to be used by Londoners to refer to their districts. The London postal districts are organized by sectors, as follows, and then numbered alphabetically within their sectors. * In central London, WC and EC (West Central and East Central). * In the rest of inner London, N, NW, SW, SE, W and E. * In parts of outer London the districts are subdivisions of 63 other post towns and were introduced at the same time as the other UK postcodes. ------------------------------ Still doesn't answer your question. I think it was a committee!
3. The postal service implemented postal zones for large cities in 1943. For example: John Smith 3256 Epiphenomenal Avenue Minneapolis 16, Minnesota Wikimedia Foundation Inc. 200 2nd Ave. South #358 St. Petersburg 1, Florida The "16" in the first example and "1" in the second is the number of the postal zone within the city. By the early 1960s a more general system was needed, and on July 1, 1963, non-mandatory ZIP Codes were announced for the whole country. Robert Moon, an employee of the post office, is considered the father of the ZIP Code. He first submitted his proposal in 1944 while working as a postal inspector. The post office only gives credit to Moon for the first 3 digits of the ZIP Code, which describe the region of the country. In most cases, the last two digits of the ZIP Code coincide with the older postal zone number, thus: John Smith 3256 Epiphenomenal Avenue Minneapolis, Minnesota 55416 Wikimedia Foundation Inc. 200 2nd Ave. South #358 St. Petersburg, Florida 33701 In 1967, these were made mandatory for second- and third-class bulk mailers and the system was soon adopted generally. The United States Post Office used a cartoon character, Mr. ZIP, to promote use of the ZIP Code. He was often depicted with a legend such as "USE ZIP CODES" in the selvage of panes of stamps, or on labels contained in, or the covers of, booklet panes of stamps. Ironically, the only time the Postal Service issued a stamp promoting the ZIP Code, in 1974, Mr. Zip was not depicted.
4. The US Postal Service implemented postal zones for large cities in 1943, however it'd been updated several times to include more cities.
5. a gentleman from agawam ma.......01001