U.S. History

How the Postal Service Created the ZIP Code

Article
Even with the decline of letter writing in the digital age, the ZIP code remains an American institution, a neat five-digit number that caps an address and, like an area code, can serve as a point of pride and prestige. Given the ZIP code’s place as an oft-used and universally recognized symbol, it may come as a surprise that the ZIP, short for "Zone Improvement Plan," isn't all that old. The system was enacted on July 1, 1963, within many of our lifetimes and just a few months before another famous entity, the Beatles, also ...Read More

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