2014 Event Italian officials announce that many of the country's public assets will be sold in an effort to reduce the country's debt; plans to sell part of the nation's air traffic control and postal services have already been approved 2014 Event The U.S. Postal Service will soon implement a rate hike in postage, approved last December the price of first-class postage stamps to 49 cents from 46 cents 2013 Event The U.S. postal service announces that after August 5, 2013, it will no longer deliver first-class mail on Saturdays 1991 Event Ex-postal worker Joseph Harris kills 4 postal workers 1978 Event U.S. Postal Service and unions agree on a contract averting mail strike 1977 Event Postal employee David Berkowitz arrested in Yonkers, New York, accused of being "Son of Sam" 44 caliber killer 1970 Event Mail service paralyzed by 1st major postal strike 1963 Event U.S. postal service institutes zip code system, Zone Improvement Plan 1959 Event Great Britain starts using postal codes 1943 Event Postmaster General Frank C Walker invents Postal Zone System 1933 Event Delivery of 1st singing telegram (Postal Telegram Co New York City) 1925 Event German Postal Minister A Hofle resigns due to corruption 1918 Event 1st airmail postal service (New York, Philadelphia and Washington D.C.) 1916 Event Postal check and Girodienst establishes 1915 Birthday Moe Biller, New York City, labor union officer, AFL-CIO, Postal Workers 1915 Birthday Ron Smith, union leader, British Postal Workers 1911 Event U.S. postal savings bank inaugurated 1910 Event U.S. postal savings stamps 1st issued 1883 Event James Cutler patents postal mail chute 1883 Event Inland postal service begins in Great Britain 1882 Birthday Wallis Clark, born in Essex, England, actress, Postal Inspector 1875 Event Universal Postal Union established 1874 Event World Postal Union forms in Bern, Switzerland 1873 Event Postal cards sold in San Francisco for 1st time 1873 Event 1st U.S. postal card issued 1869 Event Free postal delivery formally inaugurated 1868 Event Standard uniform approved for postal carriers 1861 Event Postmaster General Blair announces end of postal connection with South 1792 Event U.S. postal service created; postage 6 cents -12 cents, depending on distance 1748 Event Amsterdam establishes municipal postal service 1691 Event Thomas Neale granted British patent for American postal service 1673 Event Postal service between New York and Boston inaugurated 1464 Event French King Louis XI forms postal service
