The History of the Postal System

The invention of writing in Mesopotamia 9,500 years ago paved the way for creating a connected communication system. With the birth of writing ancient civilizations could record events and preserve knowledge. Years later in 2400 B.C.E. ancient Egypt started the first attempt at a postal system. Back then "Pharaohs used couriers to send out decrees throughout the territory of the state". The Chinese took this system one step further. Instead of focusing on one city, they created post offices scattered across the country to deliver mail anywhere. It is said that their "couriers [were] regularly traveling as far as 124 miles in a day and even more in cases of extreme urgency." This system, however, was only available for official documents. It was not until years later (~15th century) that the couriers delivered private mail for citizens. From there the Chinese postal continued to grow and expand, becoming more intricate and efficient. 

     One innovation to the mail industry was made by Frenchman Jean-Jacques Renouard de Villayer in 1653. Villayer developed the postal system in Paris, placing mailboxes across the city where people could leave mail to be delivered. This, however,  "did not last long, [as] a devious person decided to put live mice in the mailboxes scaring away his customers." Although Villayer's idea did not work during his time, the mailbox system has become a staple of the modern postal system. Another innovation to the mail industry came in 1837 when Rowland Hill developed the adhesive postage stamp. With the creation of the stamp people could now easily prepay for their mail, an idea people thought was not possible at the time. 

     With the birth of the postal system the world became more connected than ever before. Information only circled locally could now reach across a whole country. Although mail is not the fastest way to spread your ideas anymore, at the time it was an amazing development. With the postal system people could talk to people all across the world. Allowing people to collaborate and develop new technologies and innovations to help further improve society that could not happen beforehand. Families who lived in the same area for centuries could now move and travel thanks to the postal service keeping them connected. The birth of the postal system created a better, more connected world. These connections foster new, amazing innovations, both near and far, that continually shatter expectations.

https://www.2-clicks-stamps.com/article/postal-services-history-and-origins.html
https://www.britannica.com/topic/postal-system/National-postal-systems#ref15437
https://www.thoughtco.com/history-of-mail-1992142