World Post Day, which is held annually to raise awareness of the role of postal services globally in our daily lives, is Oct. 9.
The commemoration also celebrates the evolution of postal services, which can be traced to 255 B.C., the date of the first known mailpiece, found in Egypt.
In the 17th and 18th centuries, countries established agreements to govern the sending and receiving of mail across international borders.
During the 1800s, Rowland Hill, an English educator, helped develop the basic concepts of the modern postal service, including the invention of the postage stamp.
Today, nations around the world operate postal organizations that offer a variety of services. The U.S. Postal Service is one of the largest operators, handling 48 percent of the world’s mail volume.
International Postal Affairs, a USPS department, manages the organization’s global relations and policy development with the Universal Postal Union (UPU), an international agency that coordinates postal policies among its 192 member nations.
The department’s Blue page has more information.
World Post Day is held Oct. 9 because it marks the anniversary of the founding of the UPU, which offers more information about the commemoration on its website.
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