Feb. 4th is Thank a Mailman Day – Postal Facts & Fun

Besides National Homemade Soup Day, today is also Thank a Mailman Day.   Celebrated every February 4th, this annual holiday serves as an important reminder of just how important mail carriers are to our everyday lives.   

While some folks may leave their carrier a little treat during the holiday season, today provides the perfect opportunity to leave THEM a little thank-you note thanking them for their invaluable service.  After all, mail carriers brave the elements to deliver our mail like clockwork, despite rain, sleet, snow or any other type of inclement weather.  

Postal Facts

The United States Postal Service has seen a lot of changes since its inception.  

• Before the postal service, people had to rely on each other to carry messages from place to place. 
• Benjamin Franklin served as America’s first Postmaster General in 1775. 
• Did you know that before postage stamps were “invented” back in 1847, folks were required to pre-pay for the mail before it was sent or the poor soul who received the letter got stuck with the tab?
• On April 3, 1860, the famous Pony Express officially took off.
• Read about the Barefoot Mailman who traveled the nearly 70 miles on hard sand without shoes back in the late 1800s. 
•  In 1863, free city delivery started and in 1896, free rural delivery began. 
•  In 1963, the Zip Code began.
• The rapid growth of technology, specifically email and texting, may soon impact the way the U.S. Postal Service delivers. 

Postal Fun

• Ever wondered how a letter or parcel gets from place to place?
• Check out this Pony Express poster from back in the day – letters can get from New York to San Fran in just 10 days!
• The kids will have a ball making their very own mailbox.
• Make these mail carrier magnets.
• Watch the popular 1998 film, You've Got Mail, starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. 
• Watch the popular remake The Postman Always Rings Twice starring Jessica Lange and Jack Nicholson or the original 1946 version with Lana Turner. 
• Kevin Costner tries to restore the postal service despite the apocalypse in the film,  The Postman.

THANK YOU to all of the many hard-working men and women who help make mail delivery possible.