Join us as we chat with the Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum curator, Lynn Heidelbaugh, to examine one of the biggest game changers in the modernization of the Postal Service—the ZIP Code. We’ll talk about how a seemingly innocuous string of digits helped to increase delivery performance, as well as how USPS inspired nationwide adoption of the ZIP Code, including the introduction of Mr. ZIP!
Join us as we chat with the Smithsonian’s National Post Museum curator, Lynn Heidelbaugh, to examine one of the biggest game changers in the modernization of the Postal Service—the ZIP Code. We’ll talk about how a seemingly innocuous string of digits helped to increase delivery performance, as well as how USPS inspired nationwide adoption of the ZIP Code, including the introduction of Mr. ZIP! Hear how the ZIP Code was promoted, the reception it received from the public and mailing industry.
Our hosts Dale Parsan and Yasmine Di Giulio go deep into the ZIP Code with Lynn Heidelbaugh on this episode of Mailin' It!
DALE: HEY EVERYBODY. WELCOME TO TODAY'S EPISODE OF MAILIN' IT! THE OFFICIAL POSTAL SERVICE PODCAST. I'M YOUR CO-HOST DALE PARSAN.
YASMINE: AND I'M YASMINE DI GIULIO. AS YOU KNOW, THE MAILIN' IT! PODCAST SERIES IS FOCUSED ON SHARING INSIGHTS INTO THE POSTAL SERVICES, VITAL GET OFTEN OVERLOOKED ROLE IN AMERICA'S PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE.
DALE: IN THIS EPISODE, WE'LL EXAMINE ONE OF THE BIGGEST GAME CHANGERS IN THE HISTORY OF THE POSTAL SERVICE. THE ZIP CODE. WE'LL TALK ABOUT HOW THE SEEMINGLY INNOCUOUS STRING OF DIGITS HELPED USHER IN SOME OF THE POSTAL SERVICES BIGGEST INNOVATIONS AND SHARE SOME FUN FACTS ALONG THE WAY.
YASMINE: SO JOINING US TODAY IS LYNN HEIDELBAUGH, THE CURATOR WITH THE SMITHSONIAN NATIONAL POSTAL MUSEUM HERE IN WASHINGTON, DC. LYNN, WELCOME TO OUR SHOW.
LYNN: THANKS. I'M EAGER TO TALK ABOUT ZIP CODES TODAY.
YASMINE: WELCOME. BEFORE WE BEGIN, COULD YOU TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE POSTAL MUSEUM? I KNOW IT'S A SMITHSONIAN MUSEUM, BUT I FEEL THAT IT OFTEN GETS LOST AMONG SOME OF THE GLITZ AND THE GLAMOUR AND THE ALLURE OF THE MORE POPULAR SMITHSONIAN MUSEUMS HERE IN DC.
LYNN: YEAH, IN PART THAT'S WE ARE NOT ON THE NATIONAL MALL. WE ARE ACROSS THE STREET FROM UNION STATION, WHICH IS A SIGNIFICANT SPOT FOR A POSTAL MUSEUM TO BE, AND HAVING A HISTORIC CONNECTION TO A RAILROAD STATION WHERE THEY USED TO MOVE THE MAIL QUITE RAPIDLY AROUND THE COUNTRY. SO THOSE ARE THE KINDS OF TOPICS THAT WE COVER AT THE NATIONAL POSTAL MUSEUM TALKING ABOUT HOW THE MAIL HAS EVOLVED IN THE UNITED STATES AND HOW IT HAS HARNESSED AND BEEN PART OF BUILDING THE INFRASTRUCTURE OF RAILROADS AND AIRWAYS AND HIGHWAY NETWORKS AND HOW WE HAVE MOVED THE MAIL THROUGH THE CENTURIES.
YASMINE: DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE EXHIBIT AT THE POSTAL MUSEUM?
LYNN: OH, THAT IS, THAT'S REALLY LIKE ASKING SOMEBODY YOU KNOW, WHO IS THIER CHILD, AS A HISTORIAN AND CURATOR, YOU DO HAVE SORT OF FAVORITE OBJECTS. YOU DO HAVE FAVORITE PROJECTS. BUT I HAVE SEVERAL, AND IT'S, I WOULD SAY DEFINITELY IN TERMS OF WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT TODAY IS TO GO TO THE "SYSTEMS AT WORK" EXHIBITION AND TO LEARN ABOUT HOW THE MAIL IS PROCESSED. ONCE A CUSTOMER PUTS THAT PIECE OF MAIL INTO A MAILBOX AND HOW IT FINALLY GETS DELIVERED.
DALE: I FEEL LIKE IT'S A LITTLE BIT OF A RIGHT OF PASSAGE. WHENEVER YOU JOIN A HEADQUARTERS HERE IN DC WITH THE POSTAL SERVICE THAT YOU HAVE TO GO AND VISIT THE POSTAL MUSEUM, IT'S ALWAYS A, IT'S ALWAYS A WONDERFUL FIELD TRIP, SO TO SPEAK.
LYNN: OH, IT'S GREAT. I'D LOVE TO HEAR. AND WE DO ENJOY GIVING TOURS TO POSTAL EMPLOYEES. AND I LEARNED SO MUCH WITH INTERACTING WITH THE POSTAL EMPLOYEES AND LEARNING ABOUT HOW THEIR JOB IS DAY TO DAY AND HOW IT EVOLVES. BECAUSE AS A HISTORIAN, IT'S SOMETIMES DIFFICULT TO KNOW WHAT IS, WHAT'S THE CONTEMPORARY, RIGHT? GENERALLY I'M LOOKING AT SORT OF MAYBE LIKE 50 YEARS AGO AND SO FORTH, BUT SO THERE ARE SO MANY CONNECTIONS ABOUT WHAT'S GOING ON TODAY. THAT'S ROOTED IN OUR HISTORY.
DALE: WHERE DID THE IDEA FOR ZIP CODES COME FROM? WAS THERE ANYTHING SIMILAR IN USE BEFORE THEIR INTRODUCTION IN THE 1960S?
LYNN: YEAH, SO THERE, THERE ARE CODES BEFORE THAT, THAT WERE USED FOR POSTAL NETWORKS. ACTUALLY THE FIRST KIND OF CODING SYSTEM STARTS IN THE MID 1850s IN BRITAIN, AS ROLAND HILL DIVIDES UP DISTRICTS IN LONDON FOR POSTAL PURPOSES AND DIRECTING THE MAIL WITHIN LONDON. IN THE U.S. THEY STARTED TO USE ZONE NUMBERS IN 1943 IN RESPONSE TO STAFFING NEEDS DURING WORLD WAR II. MANY THE POSTAL EMPLOYEES, EXCUSE ME. ALL RIGHT. OKAY. SO DURING WORLD WAR II, MANY POSTAL EMPLOYEES WERE CALLED UP TO MILITARY SERVICE AND THEY TOOK ALL THAT KNOWLEDGE OF WORKING THE MAIL WITH THEM. THEY KNEW WHERE THE ROUTES WERE. THEY KNEW TOWN NAMES AND STREET NAMES. AND SO YOU HAD A LOT OF INEXPERIENCED AND UNDER-TRAINED PEOPLE JOINING THE POST OFFICE DEPARTMENT WHO HAD TO MOVE THAT MAIL VERY QUICKLY. AND SO A NUMBER OF THE LARGE CITIES ACTUALLY ABOUT 120 OR SO HAD INSTITUTED POSTAL ZONE NUMBERS, WHICH HELPED SOME OF THESE NEWBIE EMPLOYEES BE ABLE TO FIND A WHICH WAY TO DIRECT THAT MAIL FAIRLY QUICKLY.
DALE: WHO'S RESPONSIBLE FOR BRINGING ZIP CODES TO THE U.S?
LYNN: SO THE ZIP CODE WAS PART OF THAT MODERNIZATION PLAN BEING INSTITUTED BY A SERIES OF POSTMASTER GENERALS ON AT THE TIME IT'S INTRODUCED, IT'S A POSTMASTER GENERAL EDWARD DAY, AND HE REALLY, THE COMMITTEE WHO'S CONSIDERING WHAT TO DO WITH A ZONE, WHAT BECOMES A ZONE IMPROVEMENT PLAN ARE, ACTUALLY GO BACK TO SOME PROPOSALS THAT HAVE BEEN SORT OF KICKING AROUND FOR A WHILE. THERE WAS A POSTAL INSPECTOR BY THE NAME OF ROBERT MOON WHO HAD PROPOSED AS EARLY AS 1944, A SERIES OF THREE DIGITS THAT WOULD REALLY PUSH THE MAIL TO THOSE LARGE URBAN AREAS AND SECTIONAL CENTERS. AND THOSE IDEAS CAME, CAME UP AND THERE WERE A COUPLE OTHERS TO BE DEBATED. AND ANOTHER POSTAL INSPECTOR BY THE NAME OF HENRY BENTLEY HAHN ALSO JUST INTRODUCED THE IDEA OF USING TWO DIGITS FOR THE POST OFFICE OF DELIVERY, KIND OF LIKE THOSE POSTAL ZONE NUMBERS THAT WERE USED DURING WORLD WAR II AND JUST AFTER FOR LARGE URBAN AREAS. SO KIND OF COMBINING THOSE INTO THOSE, BECOMING THOSE FIVE DIGITS. IT REALLY IS FROM THESE IDEAS OF THESE TWO POSTAL INSPECTORS, AND IT MAKES A LOT OF SENSE THAT THAT WOULD BE A PLACE WHERE, AND EXPERTISE WHERE SOME OF THESE IDEAS WOULD, WOULD COME FROM BECAUSE AT THE TIME THE POSTAL INSPECTION SERVICE WERE WORKING ON AUDITING ROUTES. THEY REALLY SAW HOW THE NETWORK WORKED. THEY SAW THE WHOLE SYSTEM, THEY WERE LOOKING FOR PLACES FOR EFFICIENCY, AND IT KIND OF GOES BACK TO REALLY THEIR, THEIR WHOLE HISTORY OF THE POSTAL INSPECTION SERVICE AND IS LOOKING AT EFFICIENCY IN THE POST OFFICE, IN THE ROUTES, GOES BACK TO THE FIRST POSTAL SURVEYOR OF WILLIAM GODDARD IN 1776.
DALE: LYNN, SO WE TALK ABOUT HOW THE ZIP CODES WERE, WERE UNVEILED IN THE 1960S. WHAT CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THE STATE OF THE COUNTRY? WHAT REALLY BROUGHT ABOUT THE MOTIVATION FOR UNVEILING THEM AT THAT TIME TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE?
LYNN: YEAH, THE ZIP CODE, THE ZONE IMPROVEMENT PLAN WAS PART OF A LARGER WORK AT MODERNIZING THE POSTAL SERVICE FROM THE 50s AND 1960s. IT COMES ABOUT BECAUSE THERE'S HUGE CHANGES IN EMPLOYMENT. PARTLY BROUGHT ABOUT FROM WORLD WAR II AND THE CHANGING NUMBER OF PEOPLE THAT WERE WORKING IN THE POST OFFICE DEPARTMENT, THOSE WHO HAD KNOWLEDGE ABOUT ROUTES HAD GONE INTO SERVICE. AND THERE WAS SORT OF A GAP THERE. IT REALLY ALSO IS HAND-IN-HAND WITH THE RAPID INCREASE IN MAIL VOLUME FROM THE 1940s AND THE 1960s, THE VOLUME OF MAIL IN THE US JUST SKYROCKETED LIKE MAYBE 160 OR SO PERCENT INCREASE. AND THIS WAS ALL BECAUSE THE U.S. WAS IN A REALLY BIG BOOMING ECONOMY. SO COMMERCE WAS GROWING SMALL BUSINESSES, BIG BUSINESSES, AND PEOPLE WERE ADVERTISING. THERE WAS NEW DIRECT MAIL, AND THEY WERE BRINGING YOU INFORMATION ABOUT THE PRODUCTS THAT YOU COULD GET EITHER THROUGH MAIL ORDER OR JUST AT YOUR LOCAL MARKETS. AND THERE WAS A HUGE UPTICK IN POPULAR MAGAZINES AND PUBLISHERS WERE USING THE MAIL, LIKE NEVER BEFORE. SO, AND OF COURSE, PEOPLE WERE ALSO USING A LOT OF PERSONAL MAIL. THEY HAD MORE DISPOSABLE INCOME AFTER WORLD WAR II. AND SO PEOPLE WERE SENDING LOTS OF GREETING CARDS. AND A LOT OF PEOPLE IN THE U.S. WERE SORT OF ON THE MOVE AS POPULATION SHIFTS. AND PEOPLE WERE TRYING TO STAY IN CONTACT WITH FAMILY MEMBERS WHO HAD JUST MOVED MAYBE TO ANOTHER TOWN OR ANOTHER STATE. SO THE POST OFFICE SAW THAT THERE WERE GOING TO BE GREATER VOLUME INCREASES OVER TIME AND THEN PROJECTING REALLY EXPONENTIAL GROWTH. SO HOW DO YOU HANDLE ALL OF THAT? YOU'VE GOT MACHINERY THAT'S NOT QUITE UP-TO-DATE YET. YOU'VE GOT EMPLOYMENT WHERE YOU NEED TO HAVE PEOPLE WITH KNOWLEDGE WHO WERE SORTING THE MAIL, BUT THERE WAS ALSO AN OPPORTUNITY IN THE TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGE AND REALLY HARNESSING THE POWER OF COMPUTERS AND THE POWER OF BEING ABLE TO INCREASE THE MECHANIZATION AND AUTOMATION OF THE PROCESSING OF THE MAIL. AND SO THAT'S WHAT THE POSTAL SERVICE DID SORT OF WHOLESALE AND HOW THEY WERE THINKING ABOUT HOW YOU WERE GOING TO REACH EVERYBODY IN THE U.S. WITH THIS ENORMOUS INCREASE IN THE MAIL VOLUME.
YASMINE: SO BEFORE ZIP CODES, HOW DID PEOPLE ADDRESS THEIR MAIL? WAS IT JUST A CITY AND A STATE? AND THAT WAS IT.
LYNN: YEAH. IT MOSTLY WAS TO CITY AND STATE. IT REALLY WAS FOR THE MOST PART OF FOUR DECADES AND CENTURIES, THE POST OFFICE, YOU WERE NAMING THE POST OFFICE IT WAS GOING TO, BECAUSE PEOPLE WOULD GO AND PICK UP THEIR MAIL AT THE POST OFFICE FROM THE 18TH CENTURY THROUGH PRETTY MUCH, MOST OF THE 19TH CENTURY. IT'S NOT UNTIL 1860s DOES DELIVERY TO RESIDENCES AND BUSINESSES BECOME THE NORM FOR URBAN AREAS. AND SO THAT HAS PEOPLE START TO CHANGE THEIR ADDRESS AND ADD IN THE STREET NAMES AND NUMBERS, BECAUSE NOW THE MAIL IS COMING TO YOUR HOME. AND SO PEOPLE WERE SLOWLY ADOPTING THAT AS WELL. AND THEY WERE, YEAH, MAKE SOME MISTAKES ON THERE. AND MAYBE NOT ALWAYS PUT IN THE NUMBER, THE STREET ADDRESS. AND SO THAT HAD TO GET PICKED UP BY THE POSTAL CLERKS WHO WERE KNOWLEDGEABLE ABOUT THE STREET IN THOSE CITIES. AND SO INTRODUCING SOMETHING LIKE A ZIP CODE WHERE IT STANDARDIZED AND BASED ON THAT GEOGRAPHICAL OCCASIONS, IT REALLY DOES HELP ELIMINATE SOME OF THOSE HUMAN ERRORS IN ADDRESSING YOUR MAIL.
DALE: JUST WANTED TO KNOW HOW THE NUMBERS TRANSLATE INTO MEANING.
LYNN: OH, GREAT. OKAY. GREAT QUESTION. OKAY, SO WHEN ZIP CODE IS INTRODUCED IT STARTS WITH FIVE DIGITS AND THOSE REPRESENT DIFFERENT ZONES. IT'S PRETTY MUCH THAT THE ENTIRE UNITED STATES IS ORGANIZED INTO 10 ZONES, AND IT STARTS FROM THE NUMBER ZERO ON THE EAST AND INCREASES TO NINE MOVING WESTWARD. AND THOSE FIRST THREE DIGITS ARE KIND OF A CONCEPT TOGETHER. SO THAT FIRST DIGIT IS THE REGION. THE SECOND AND THIRD DIGITS ARE THE CITY OR A SECTIONAL CENTER, WHICH IS THE LARGE PROCESSING AND DISTRIBUTION PLANT FOR MAIL FOR THAT ROUTES, ALL THE MAIL FOR LOCAL POST OFFICES. THE FOURTH AND FIFTH NUMBERS ARE THE LOCAL POST OFFICE FOR THE DELIVERY. AND WHEN PLUS FOUR WAS INTRODUCED, THAT GETS IT DOWN TO EVEN MORE FINITE AREAS AND GET YOU ONTO THE ROUTE.
YASMINE: ARE THERE ANY ZIP CODE NUMBER COMBINATIONS THAT ARE NOT IN USE OR WERE RETIRED AT ALL?
LYNN: YEAH. ZIP CODES ARE CONSTANTLY BEING UPDATED AND THE POSTAL SERVICE DOES MAINTAIN AS ZIP CODE. SO IF THERE ARE AREAS THAT ARE DISCONTINUED THOSE ARE WITHDRAWN, SOME OF THEM CAN BE RE-INTRODUCED.
YASMINE: ARE THERE ANY THAT ARE SORT OF OFF LIMITS IN TERMS OF THE NUMBER OF COMBINATIONS THAT COULD BE USED?
LYNN: SOME ARE KEPT IN RESERVE. YEAH, SO SOME ARE FOR, SERV DATA PROCESSING.
YASMINE: DO YOU KNOW WHAT THE EARLIEST ZIP CODE IS OR THE FIRST NUMBERS? I GUESS IT CAN'T BE 00000.
LYNN: YEAH, SO THERE ARE SOME EARLY NUMBERS AND THEY, THEY DO START WITH THE ZERO NUMBERS. THERE IS ONE FOR AN IRS BUILDING IN SCHENECTADY, NEW YORK, WHICH HAS A VERY LOW NUMBER AND PUERTO RICO, WHEN THEY STARTED ZIP CODES IN 1963, HAD THE LOWEST NUMBER AT THE TIME WHEN ZIP CODES WERE INTRODUCED.
YASMINE: SO BACK IN THE DAY, WHEN THEY FIRST INTRODUCED THIS, IF YOU ARE SENDING YOUR LETTER TO YOUR GRANDMA IN CALIFORNIA, YOU LIVED OVER HERE IN WASHINGTON, DC. HOW DID YOU KNOW WHAT HER ZIP CODE WAS? HOW WOULD YOU LOOK THAT UP?
LYNN: YEAH. YOU HAD TO TALK TO THE POST OFFICE. THE POST OFFICE HAD ZIP CODE DIRECTORIES. AND SO THEY WERE INFORMING PEOPLE WHAT THE ZIP CODES WERE FOR THE TOWNS THAT POST OFFICES AND THE DIFFERENT ZONE. SO YOU COULD, YOU WERE ENCOURAGED TO CALL THE POST OFFICE TO ASK FOR THE NUMBERS YOU WERE GIVEN AT CERTAIN POINTS, THEY WERE GIVEN THE, THE DIRECTORIES. AND AT ONE POINT THAT THE POST OFFICE EVEN CREATES A PACKAGE THAT THEY SENT OUT TO ALL RESIDENTS, AND IT INCLUDED NINE POSTCARDS AND PEOPLE WOULD WRITE IN AN ADDRESS THAT THEY COMMONLY USED AND THEY NEEDED TO KNOW THE ZIP CODE. AND THEN THE POST OFFICE WOULD SEND THAT BACK. SO BASICALLY KIND OF USING SOMEBODY TO DO THE REFERENCE WORK FOR YOU, AND THAT WAS ALL HAPPENING THROUGH THE MAIL. AND THERE WAS POSTCARDS WERE ALL MARKED WITH A MR. ZIP ON THE FRONT. MR. ZIP WHO BECAME REALLY THE ICON OF THE WHOLE ZIP CODE SYSTEM.
DALE: MR. ZIP AN ABSOLUTE FAVORITE HERE AT THE POST.
YASMINE: WE WERE HOPING YOU'D BRING THAT UP, LYNN. WE LOVE MR. ZIP.
LYNN: THAT'S WHY HE'S THERE. HE'S TRYING TO BE THE FACE OF A ZIP CODE AND TO ELICIT THAT KIND OF RESPONSE HE IS SUPPOSED TO BE WARM AND HUMANIZING. TO WHAT CAN BE A VERY KIND OF COLD METHODICAL SYSTEM OF THESE FIVE DIGITS. AND SO HE'S REPRESENTED IN THAT CARTOON ILLUSTRATION OF A LETTER CARRIER, AND HE EMBODIES EVERYTHING THAT THE POST OFFICE DEPARTMENT WAS TRYING TO ACHIEVE WITH THE ZIP CODE ZONE IMPROVEMENT PLAN, AND TRYING TO SPEED THE MAIL. HE LOOKS LIKE HE IS SPEEDING AWAY, AND HE'S USUALLY SHOW AN IMPOSES AS IF HE'S RUNNING OR THERE'S, YOU KNOW, HE'S LEAVING THE AIR WAKE AND AS HE MOVES AWAY AND HIS MAILBAG IS FLYING OUT BEHIND HIM, BUT HE REALLY IS SORT OF THAT THE FACE THAT EVERYBODY STARTS TO ASSOCIATE WITH THE ZIP CODE BECAUSE THEY, THE POST OFFICE DEPARTMENT WANTED IT TO BE THAT PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP OF CONVINCING PEOPLE TO START TO PUT THESE NUMBERS ON IT. AND HAVE YOU ASSOCIATE THE REASON FOR THIS IS THAT PEOPLE ARE INVOLVED IN THIS SYSTEM. CUSTOMERS ARE INVOLVED, THE WORKERS OF THE POSTAL NETWORK ARE INVOLVED.
DALE: LYNN, MR. ZIP HAS ALWAYS BEEN SOMETHING OF A FASCINATING ITEM HERE AT THE POSTAL SERVICE. AND I'M CURIOUS, WHATEVER HAPPENED TO MR. ZIP, DID HE GO ON WITH HIS LIFE? WHAT HAPPENED?
LYNN: WELL, HE WAS REALLY, HE WAS RETIRED IN THE 1980s. HE HE'S STILL, HE MAKES APPEARANCES, BUT AS ZIP CODE NUMBERS WERE PEOPLE HAD BECOME USED TO HAVING ZIP CODES ON THEIR ADDRESSES, PUTTING THEM ON THEIR ADDRESSES. BUSINESSES WERE INCORPORATING THEM AT HIGH PERCENTAGE RATES OF MOST EVERYTHING THAT YOU WOULD GET IN THE MAIL, HAD A ZIP CODE BY THE 1980s, HE WAS NO LONGER NEEDED TO BE AS A PUBLIC FIGURE. AND SO HE WAS ABLE TO RETIRE, BUT IT WAS A LONG TIME IN PHASING OUT, IT WAS 20 YEARS REALLY THAT HE WAS AT WORK FOR THE POST OFFICE DEPARTMENT AND THEN THE POSTAL SERVICE AND HELPING DIRECT PEOPLE TO USE ZIP CODES. AND HE WAS THERE ON THE SALVAGE EDGE OF STAMP ISSUES WITH THAT MESSAGE TO USE YOUR ZIP CODE. HE WAS IN A NUMBER OF PRODUCTS. HE REALLY BEGAN IN PART OF THAT EARLY CAMPAIGN IN THE 1963, THAT NATIONAL CAMPAIGN AT LOCAL POST OFFICES REALLY KIND OF PAPER, THEIR OFFICES WITH IMAGES AND MR. ZIP, THEY WERE GIVEN CUTOUTS OF HIM THAT THEY COULD PUT IN THE LOBBY, THE POSTERS THAT HAD THE INFORMATION OF WHAT THE LOCAL ZIP CODE NUMBER WAS GOING TO BE. THOSE WERE ALL HAD MR. ZIP KIND OF SMILING AT YOU, LOOKING AT YOU, MAKING THAT CONTACT. AND HE CONTINUED ON THINGS LIKE THE TRUCKS HAD DECALS, THE LETTER CARRIERS WORE BUTTONS. THEY WORE DECALS ON THEIR LEATHER SATCHELS, LIKE YOU NAME IT. IT WAS WALLPAPER WITH MR. ZIP IN THE 1960s.
YASMINE: SO IT MUST HAVE BEEN CHALLENGING TO EDUCATE PEOPLE ACROSS THE COUNTRY ON THIS NEW ADDRESSES FEATURE. SO HOW DID THE POSTAL SERVICE PROMOTE ZIP CODES?
LYNN: YEAH, IT'S, I'M REALLY ASKING PEOPLE TO CHANGE WHAT THEY'RE DOING TO THEIR MAIL. YOU'RE ASKING THEM TO ADD MORE NUMBERS, TO START TO MEMORIZE NUMBERS OR TO HAVE TO REALLY GO AND LOOK UP THOSE NUMBERS. SO THE POST OFFICE DEPARTMENT LOOKED AT WHAT SORT OF OTHER COMMUNICATION AGENCIES WERE DOING IT. THEY LEARNED FROM AT&T THAT THEY HAD RUN INTO SOME RESISTANCE FROM THE PUBLIC WHEN INTRODUCING AREA CODE NUMBERS FOR PHONES. THEY LEARNED FROM SOME INTERNATIONAL POSTAL AGENCIES ABOUT INTRODUCING CODES AS WELL. AND THEY REALLY STARTED TO PLAN HOW TO DO A CAMPAIGN BEFORE THEY ACTUALLY INSTITUTED THE ZIP CODE, BUT ALL ALONG THE ZIP CODE IS OPTIONAL. SO THAT WAS A BIG PART OF HOW DO YOU MESSAGE SOMETHING THAT PEOPLE CAN OPT INTO? HOW DO YOU CONVINCE THEM TO TAKE THE EXTRA EFFORT TO LEARN THESE NUMBERS, MEMORIZE THEIR OWN NUMBER FOR THEIR ADDRESS, GO AND LOOK IT UP FOR WHERE THEY'RE GOING TO MAIL THEIR, THEIR LETTER OR THEIR PACKAGE TO. SO WHAT DO YOU DO FOR THAT? YOU, YOU TELL THEM WHY WAS PART OF WHAT THE POSTAL SERVICE DID YOU TELL THEM HOW IT'S GOING TO BENEFIT THEM. AND SO THEY HAD A MESSAGE, BOTH FOR INDIVIDUALS WHO WERE ADDRESSING THEIR GREETING CARDS, BUT ALSO FOR MAJOR MAILERS, THE LARGE PUBLISHERS AND DIRECT MAILERS WHO HAD TO REALLY CHANGE SOME OF THEIR SYSTEMS AND EVEN THEIR EQUIPMENT OF HOW THEY WERE GOING TO INCORPORATE THE ZIP CODE INTO HOW THEY WERE PROCESSING THE MAIL. AND FOR THOSE MAJOR MAILERS, THE POSTAL SERVICE GAVE THEM EXTRA TIME. SO WITH THE ZIP CODE BEING INTRODUCED IN 1963, THOSE MAJOR MAILERS WHO WERE, PRESORTING THE MAIL HAD UP UNTIL 1967 TO BE ABLE TO GET CHEAPER RATES.
YASMINE: SO HOW LONG DID THE PUBLICITY CAMPAIGN AROUND THE ZIP CODES LAST?
LYNN: I WOULD KIND OF CALL IT ALMOST IN THREE PHASES. THERE'S THAT INITIAL ONE WHERE THE POST OFFICE DEPARTMENT IS TRYING TO PREPARE PEOPLE THAT THIS IS COMING. SO IT HAPPENS IN THE SPRING OF 1963 THAT THEY START TO TALK TO POSTMASTERS ABOUT THIS WILL BE COMING. THEY TALK TO MAJOR MAILERS TO PREPARE THEM. AND REALLY WHAT'S FASCINATING IS THEY GIVE A LOT OF AUTONOMY TO THE POSTMASTERS AND THE MESSAGING THEY SEND IN THE OFFICIAL MEMO IS SAY, IT'S TO YOUR DISCRETION AND JUDGMENT OF WHAT TO DO, BUT HERE'S ALL THESE OPTIONS YOU CAN; WE REALLY WANT YOU TO GO OUT TO CIVIC GROUPS. WE WANT YOU TO GO TO SCHOOLS CONTACT YOUR LOCAL NEWSPAPER. HERE'S SOME PRINT ADS THAT YOU CAN GET INTO THE LOCAL NEWSPAPER. AND WHAT YOU CAN DO WITH THE PRESS RELEASES AND MAKE SURE YOU DOCUMENT ALL OF THIS AND RETURN IT TO HEADQUARTERS. SO WE KNOW HOW IT'S GOING, BUT REALLY IT WAS UP TO A LOT OF THE LOCAL POSTMASTERS TO BE THAT POINT PERSON ABOUT THE ZIP CODE, BE ABLE TO ANSWER THOSE QUESTIONS FROM CUSTOMERS OF HOW THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO FIND OUT WHAT THE ZIP CODE IS FOR THEIR OWN ADDRESS AND FOR WHERE THEY WERE GOING TO MAIL IT. AND THEY DID IT IN A NUMBER OF REALLY INGENIOUS WAYS. THERE WAS A PLACE, AT LEAST IN ARIZONA. THERE WAS A BEAUTY CONTEST FOR A MS. ZIP. THERE WAS COUNTY FAIRS THAT HAD MR. ZIP ATTEND AND PARADES. THERE'S LOTS OF PHOTOS OF MR. ZIP BEING REPRESENTED AT LOCAL PARADE.
YASMINE: THAT'S AMAZING. I LOVE THIS IDEA OF THE BEAUTY PAGEANT FOR MS. ZIP. THAT'S SO FUN.
LYNN: IT IS. AND ACTUALLY AN IDEA OF MS. ZIP KIND OF RESURFACES IN 1969 AND PART OF THE POST OFFICE REALLY KIND OF DOING ANOTHER PUSH FOR ZIP CODES IN 1966, THEY FOUND THAT ONLY ABOUT HALF OF THE POPULATION OF THE U.S. WERE USING ZIP CODES AND THE POSTMASTER GENERAL LAWRENCE O'BRIEN AT THE TIME CALLED THIS, THE ZIP GAP. I KIND OF LOVE THAT PHRASE TO SAY THAT THERE'S A, THERE'S A PROBLEM WITH A ZIP GAP AND WHAT HE MEANT BY IT WAS THAT THERE WERE PEOPLE THAT WERE USING THE ZIP CODE THAT KNEW WHAT IT WAS. AND THEN THERE WERE THOSE WHO WEREN'T IN COMPLIANCE. AND HOW DO YOU CONVINCE THOSE TO START TO USE IT? A LOT OF PEOPLE DIDN'T KNOW WHAT IT WAS YET. AND SO THE POST OFFICE STARTED TO WORK WITH THE AD COUNCIL AND THEY REALLY STARTED TO UP THEIR GAME ON ADVERTISING ABOUT ZIP CODES. AND SO BY 1969, IT WAS THE NUMBERS OF AMERICANS WHO WERE USING A NEW ZIP CODES, WENT UP ASTRONOMICALLY AND MS. ZIP, INSTEAD OF BEING, YOU KNOW, FROM THE EARLY 60S BEING USED AS A BEAUTY CONTEST THERE WERE ACTUALLY POSTAL CLERKS WHO WERE DRESSED IN SASHES THAT SAID MS. ZIP, AND THEY WERE THERE AS CUSTOMER SERVICE AGENTS TO HELP PEOPLE FIND THE ZIP CODE AND ANSWER QUESTIONS ABOUT THEIR MAIL AND DELIVERY TIMES.
YASMINE: YEAH, THAT'S REALLY FUN. I WAS WONDERING, YOU KNOW, THAT YOU BRING THAT UP. WAS THERE ANY SORT OF CONNECTION BETWEEN THE POSTAL SERVICE AND THE ZIP CAMPAIGN WITH THE POPULAR CULTURE OF THE TIME IN TERMS OF, I DON'T KNOW, MUSIC OR TV OR MOVIES, OR ANY KIND OF TIE-IN JUST TO TRY TO KEEP THAT PROMOTION GOING?
LYNN: YEAH. DURING THE CAMPAIGNS OF THOSE SORT OF LATE SIXTIES FROM 66 TO 69, AND WORKING WITH THE AD COUNCIL, THEY PRODUCE A LOT OF RADIO PIECES. THEY PRODUCE TELEVISION, FILM PIECES, A LOT OF THEM CREATIVE. SOME OF THEM USING WELL-KNOWN NAMES OF SINGERS, MUSICIANS ETHEL MERMAN, AND JOHNNY PULEO. THEY APPEARED IN SOME OF THESE PIECES (JINGLE ) AND THERE'S A VERY, I'M GOING TO JUST CALL IT QUIRKY FILM IT'S ABOUT 15 MINUTES LONG FEATURING A SINGING ACT CALLED "SWINGIN' SIX". AND THEY TELL YOU THE STORY OF MAIL AND HOW IT HAS MOVED THROUGH THE AGES FROM STONE AGE TO MODERN ERA'S.
JINGLE: WELL, HELLO, MY FRIEND, HOW DO YOU DO, WE HOPE YOU HAVE A MOMENT OR TWO, TO LISTEN TO WHAT WE HAVE TO SAY, TO EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU, IT CONCERNS OUR POSTAL SYSTEM……
LYNN: BUT THEY ALL PLAYED OUT THINGS THAT YOU REALLY NEEDED TO KNOW ABOUT WHY THE ZIP CODE WAS GOING TO WORK AND WHY IT WAS IMPORTANT. THEY HAVE A PIECE IN THERE ABOUT HOW DIFFICULT IT IS TO SORT THE MAIL FOR ALL THE TOWNS NAMED SPRINGFIELD IN THE UNITED STATES. AND SO THEY NAME A BUNCH OF STATES WITH THE TOWN SPRINGFIELD IN IT.
JINGLE: I HAVE A LETTER HERE FOR SOMEBODY FROM SPRINGFIELD. SPRINGFIELD? ......THERE'S NO PLACE I'D RATHER BE, I FREQUENT PENNSYLVANIA....... AND I WANT YOU TO KNOW I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THOSE LETTERS......WHAT GOODS DOES IT DO TO SEND A LETTER MY WAY WHEN I’M IN SPRINGFIELD USA…
LYNN: IT'S QUIRKY, BUT THE MESSAGE IS REALLY SOLID IN THOSE PIECES.
YASMINE: SO THEN YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THIS MASSIVE PUBLICITY CAMPAIGN THAT THE POSTAL SERVICE UNDERTOOK TO PROMOTE ZIP CODES. DO YOU HAVE ANY SENSE OF THE REACTION OF THE GENERAL PUBLIC TO HAVING THIS BEING ASKED OF THEM BY THE POSTAL SERVICE WHERE THEY KIND OF OPEN TO IT, OR WERE THEY SORT OF HARD TO CONVINCE AND HARD TO BRING ALONG FOR THE RIDE?
LYNN: SOME OF IT WAS KIND OF RETICENT. YOU KNOW, YOU'RE ASKING PEOPLE TO FIND SOME MORE NUMBERS THAT THEY'RE GOING TO HAVE TO LOOK UP ON AN ADDRESS. THEY'RE GOING TO HAVE TO GO TO THE POST OFFICE AND GET ONE OF THESE DIRECTORIES AND, OR ASK THE COURT TO, TO LOOK UP THE ADDRESS AND ADD THESE NUMBERS TO, TO THE MAIL. AND SO IT WAS A LOT OF, OH, THIS IS MORE WORK FOR ME TO DO, OR I'M GOING TO HAVE TO MEMORIZE THIS NUMBER. I'M NOW GOING TO HAVE TO MEMORIZE THIS FOR MY ADDRESS, A FEELING OF MAYBE IT WAS DEPERSONALIZING IT BY PUTTING NUMBERS TO IT. AND THIS IS AN ERA WHERE PEOPLE ARE GETTING USED TO HAVING SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBERS AND MEMORIZING THOSE. SO IT WAS AN ERA WHERE PEOPLE WERE FEELING LIKE NUMBERS WERE KIND OF ENCROACHING ON EVERYTHING, WAS THAT TAKING AWAY SOME OF THE INDIVIDUALITY. SO YOU DO HAVE TO CONVINCE PEOPLE TO DO THE EXTRA WORK. AND SO THAT'S WHY A LOT OF THE LANGUAGE WAS AROUND THAT, THAT IT WOULD IMPROVE THE SERVICE. THAT IT WOULD, THAT YOUR ITEMS WOULD GET DELIVERED QUICKER, IF YOU ADDED THESE FIVE DIGITS.
YASMINE: ZIPPIER MAIL DELIVERY SERVICE.
LYNN: EXACTLY. AND THAT'S, THAT'S THE BEAUTY OF THAT NAME IS IT'S BUILT RIGHT IN THERE WITH THE ZIPPY AND THE SENSE OF SPEED, BECAUSE THAT WAS REALLY THE LANGUAGE THAT EVERYBODY WAS USING AT THE POSTAL SERVICE TO SAY THAT THIS WAS GOING TO BE FASTER AND MORE EFFICIENT. AND THEY WERE TELLING THE CUSTOMERS THAT WAS THE END GOAL.
DALE: IT'S FASCINATING TO SEE HOW IT'S EVOLVED FROM A PURELY POSTAL TOOL TO SOMETHING THAT SERVES A LARGER PURPOSE FOR THE AMERICAN PEOPLE. LYNN, HAVE YOU COME ACROSS ANY STORIES LIKE THIS IN YOUR RESEARCH?
LYNN: YEAH. WHAT YOU WERE JUST TALKING ABOUT IS VERY SIMILAR TO HOW PEOPLE IN THE 19TH CENTURY WERE ASKING FOR THEIR OWN POST OFFICE. AND THEY WERE ASKING FOR THE TOWN NAME AND THE POST OFFICE NAME. AND IT WAS VERY SIMILAR TO WHAT PEOPLE WANTING TO HAVE THAT IDENTITY FOR THEIR PLACE ASSOCIATED WITH WHERE THEY'RE GETTING THE COMMUNICATION AND THEY'RE REACHING THAT WIDER WORLD. AND THE ZIP CODE REALLY DOES BECOME HOW PEOPLE ARE IDENTIFYING THEIR COMMUNITIES. THEY'RE IDENTIFYING THE STATES. AND IT'S ALSO USED BY ORGANIZATIONS OTHER THAN JUST THE POSTAL SERVICE TO UNDERSTAND COMMUNITIES, TO LOOK AT DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION. AND IT'S BASICALLY, IT'S KIND OF FREE SOURCE CODE THAT PEOPLE AND ORGANIZATIONS CAN USE AND TO USE EFFICIENTLY AND EFFECTIVELY TO UNDERSTAND POPULATION AREAS IN THE U.S. AND, AND IT BECOMES A WAY THAT THINGS AS BASIC AS REAL ESTATE AND THE CENSUS ALL USE ZIP CODES TO ORGANIZE SOME OF THE DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION THAT THEY'RE COLLECTING AND SORTING. SO IT'S USED IN GREATER WAYS AND THE INDUSTRY AND GOVERNMENT THAN JUST THE POSTAL SERVICE.
DALE: LYNN WE'VE TALKED A LOT ABOUT HOW THIS HELPS THE AMERICAN PEOPLE IN THE COUNTRY OVERALL, BUT IS THERE A VALUE TO THE POSTAL SERVICE THAT THAT'S ZIP CODES HAVE BROUGHT OVER TIME? THERE'S A REASON WHY THEY'RE STILL IN EFFECT, CORRECT.
LYNN: YEAH. THEY ARE HIGHLY EFFICIENT. AND IT'S JUST, THERE'S A FEW DIGITS THAT ARE ABLE TO BE, TO BE READ BY THE OPTICAL CHARACTER READERS THAT CAN CONVERT THINGS. THE MACHINE CAN CONVERT IT INTO BARCODES AND IT REALLY DOES HELP AND WAYS OF MAKING THE MACHINERY THAT IS MOVING THE MAIL THROUGH THE SYSTEM. ONCE A CUSTOMER DROPS IT OFF INTO THE COLLECTION BOX IT GOES INTO A WHOLE SERIES OF HOW IT'S BEING HANDLED AND SORTED AND ROUTED. AND THERE WAS ZIP CODES MAKE THAT POSSIBLE WITH FEWER MISTAKES BECAUSE THERE'S ACCURACY AND JUST THOSE DIGITS. WHERE AS THERE MIGHT NOT BE IN SOMEBODY WHO'S MAYBE HANDWRITTEN THAT ADDRESS ON THERE. IT IS ALSO IMPROVING THE WAY THINGS ARE, ARE MOVED. BY TRANSPORTATION, YOU CAN BUNDLE A LOT OF THINGS THAT ARE GOING TO THE SAME LOCATION FOR MAJOR MAILERS WHO ARE PRESORTING THEIR MAIL AND HAVE THE ZIP CODES ON THERE. THEY CAN SKIP THE NEXT SORTING UNIT AND BRING IT TO TRANSPORTATION HUBS AND TO THE SECTIONAL CENTERS TO HAVE IT MOVED TO THE NEXT LOCATION CLOSER TO THE DELIVERY POINT.
DALE: LYNN, WITH THE UNITED STATES HAVING OVER 40,000 INDIVIDUALS ZIP CODES, WHAT ARE SOME MORE, WHAT ARE SOME OF THE MORE UNIQUE ONES?
LYNN: YEAH. SO THERE ARE A UNIQUE CODES WITHIN THAT SYSTEM. THERE ARE, OF COURSE THE STANDARD CODES THAT COVERS YOUR, YOUR RESIDENCES AND BUSINESSES. BUT VERY LARGE BUSINESSES. INSTITUTIONS LIKE UNIVERSITIES, GOVERNMENT AGENCIES WILL HAVE UNIQUE CODES. SO WITHOUT IT EVERYTHING FROM THAT FOR, FOR THAT ADDRESS GOES TO THAT ORGANIZATION. SO I WORK FOR THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION AND WE HAVE A UNIQUE ZIP CODE OF 20560. AND LIKE A LOT OF PEOPLE, I SORT OF IDENTIFY THAT WITH THAT BECAUSE THAT'S MY PLACE OF EMPLOYMENT. SO I HANDLE A LOT OF MAIL THAT I'M SENDING OUT WITH THAT RETURN ADDRESS OR IT'S COMING IN A WITH THAT ADDRESS. SO IT'S ONE OF THOSE SETS OF NUMBERS THAT I FREQUENTLY YOU KNOW, I CAN IDENTIFY WITH PERSONALLY AND NOW THEIR NUMBER THAT'S UNIQUE IS FOR THE WHITE HOUSE AND OF SORT OF AN INDIVIDUAL WHO HAS A UNIQUE ZIP CODE IS SMOKEY BEAR WHO WAS SO POPULAR DURING THE SIXTIES ABOUT THE SAME TIME THAT ZIP CODE WAS INTRODUCED, THAT THE POST OFFICE DEPARTMENT GAVE SMOKEY BEAR HIS OWN ZIP CODE.
YASMINE: WHAT DO YOU THINK THE MOST FAMOUS ZIP CODE IS?
LYNN: OH, GOODNESS. I PROBABLY WOULD SAY THE WHITE HOUSE IS A FAMOUS ZIP CODE. IT'S YOU KNOW, ONE LOCATION, ONE ENTITY. AND SO THAT'S ONE OF THOSE UNIQUE ZIP CODES. SO IT'S 20500.
YASMINE: DALE WHAT DO YOU THINK?
DALE: SORRY, GUYS. I'M GOING TO HAVE TO DISAGREE. I'M GOING TO GO WITH 90210.
YASMINE: YOU BIG FAN OF THE SHOW?
DALE: OH, NO COMMENT.
YASMINE: SO WHAT ABOUT WHEN YOU'RE A CHILD AND YOU'RE WRITING YOUR LETTER TO SANTA? WHAT ZIP CODE DOES HE USE?
LYNN: YEAH, SO SANTA AT THE NORTH POLE DOES HAVE ONE OF THOSE UNIQUE ZIP CODES AND IT'S; LET ME GET MY NUMBERS RIGHT HERE. IT'S 88888, SO ITS 5 EIGHTS IN A ROW.
YASMINE: THAT'S EASY TO REMEMBER. SO THAT'S PROBABLY A GOOD THING.
LYNN: YES. AND I'M SURE IT LOOKS GREAT ON YOUR LETTER WHEN YOU'RE WRITING TO SANTA THAT'S, YOU'VE USED ALL THE ZIP CODE NUMBERS AND IT'LL SPEED IT TO THE NORTH POLE.
DALE: LYNN, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US TODAY ON MAILIN' IT!
LYNN: THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME TODAY. IT WAS VERY INTERESTING TO BE ABLE TO SHARE SOME STORIES OF THE ZIP CODE AND ITS HISTORY.
DALE: FOR ANY OF OUR AUDIENCE MEMBERS INTERESTED IN LEARNING MORE ABOUT ZIP CODES AND POSTAL HISTORY. WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO VISIT THE SMITHSONIAN NATIONAL POSTAL MUSEUM ON YOUR NEXT TRIP TO WASHINGTON DC. YOU CAN ALSO CHECK OUT RESOURCES ONLINE AT postalmuseum.si.edu
YASMINE: THANKS AGAIN FOR CHATTING WITH DALE AND I TODAY.
LYNN: THANKS FOR SUCH INTERESTING QUESTIONS. IT WAS GREAT TO SHARE THE HISTORY OF THE ZIP CODE.
YASMINE: OKAY. I'M EXCITED ABOUT THIS NEXT SEGMENT. AS PART OF DEVELOPING THIS PODCAST, DALE AND I HAVE BEEN DOING A LOT OF RESEARCH ABOUT THE HISTORY OF THE POSTAL SERVICE, AND WE KEEP COMING UP WITH THESE GREAT LITTLE TIDBITS AND FACTOIDS AND OBSCURE MOMENTS, AND FRANKLY TRYING TO TOP EACH OTHER A LITTLE BIT. SO WE'RE PUTTING THAT COMPETITIVE SPIRIT TO GOOD USE. WE'VE DECIDED TO END EACH EPISODE WITH THE QUICK DID YOU KNOW? SEGMENT, AND WE'LL SEE WHETHER DALE OR I HAVE THE MOST INTERESTING HISTORICAL OR CULTURAL FACT TO SHARE. I'VE GOT A GOOD ONE TODAY. BUT DALE'S LOOKING LIKE HE'S GOT SOMETHING SPECIAL OVER THERE AS WELL. WE'LL LET THE GAMES BEGIN. ALL RIGHT, DALE PRESSURES IS ON. WHAT HAVE YOU GOT FOR US TODAY?
DALE: WOW, YASMINE, I WASN'T REALLY EXPECTING ALL THAT BUILDUP, BUT I'VE GOT ONE I LIKE ALOT. IT'S HISTORICAL AND QUASI CULTURAL. IN THE 1969 MOVIE, BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID, WITH ROBERT REDFORD AND PAUL NEWMAN PLAYING TRAIN ROBBERS. THEY ARE CHASED ALL OVER THE OLD WEST BY A POSSE. AS THAT POSSE KEEPS GETTING CLOSER, THEY KEEP LOOKING BACK AND REPEATING THAT GREAT LINE, "WHO ARE THOSE GUYS?" IT'S A CLASSIC FILM LINE AND IT CREATES ALL THIS TENSION THROUGHOUT THE MOVIE. WHILE IN REALITY, WHEN BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID WERE CHASED ALL OVER THE OLD WEST, BY THAT POSSE, IT WAS A POSSE OF, DRUM ROLL PLEASE… POSTAL INSPECTORS. THE POSTAL INSPECTION SERVICE REALLY DIDN'T LIKE THEIR MAIL TRAINS BEING ROBBED AND MADE IT A POINT TO GET AFTER THOSE ROBBERS. IF YOU SHOULD EVER WATCH THAT CLASSIC FILM AGAIN, WHEN THEY ASK WHO ARE THOSE GUYS? THE ANSWER IS THE POSTAL INSPECTION SERVICE. SO, YASMINE HOW'D I DO?
YASMINE: NOT TOO BAD, NOT TOO BAD, FEELING A LITTLE BIT OF PRESSURE NOW, BY THE WAY, I LIKE THAT QUASI CULTURAL HEDGE. SINCE IT'S A CLASSIC MOVIE, I WILL GIVE YOU CREDIT FOR FULL CULTURE. ALL RIGHT. HERE'S MINE ALL HISTORICAL TODAY. DID YOU KNOW? AND THIS IS CONTRARY TO WHAT MOST PEOPLE BELIEVE THAT THE POSTAL SERVICE HAS NO OFFICIAL MOTTO. IF YOU GO TO THE MAIN POST OFFICE BUILDING IN NEW YORK CITY, WHICH IS CALLED THE FARLEY BUILDING, AND IT'S LOCATED NEXT TO MADISON SQUARE GARDEN AND PENN STATION, YOU WILL SEE WHAT EVERYONE THINKS IS THE POSTAL SERVICE MOTTO. THERE'S A MASSIVE ENGRAVING ON THE BUILDING THAT SAYS "NEITHER SNOW NOR RAIN, NOR HEAT NOR GLOOM OF NIGHT STAYS THESE COURIERS FROM THE SWIFT COMPLETION OF THEIR APPOINTED ROUNDS. " THAT PHRASE APPEARS IN THE HISTORIES ABOUT THE WARS BETWEEN THE ANCIENT GREEKS AND PERSIANS WRITTEN BY THE GREAT GREEK HISTORIAN HERACLITUS.
AND HE WAS ACTUALLY REFERRING TO THE ANCIENT PERSIAN COURIERS WHO WERE APPARENTLY FAMED FOR THEIR RELIABILITY AND SWIFTNESS. SO BECAUSE THIS POST OFFICE BUILDING IS SO PROMINENT, THE PHRASE HAS BECOME TIED TO THE POSTAL SERVICE EVER SINCE THE BUILDING WAS BUILT. AND NOW THERE'S THIS COMMON MISCONCEPTION THAT THIS IS THE POSTAL SERVICE MOTTO. IT WAS ACTUALLY JUST PUT ON THE BUILDING AT THE RECOMMENDATION OF THE ARCHITECT, BECAUSE HE WAS A FAN OF GREEK HISTORY, WHICH I THINK IS PRETTY COOL AND EXPRESSING MY OWN PERSONAL OPINION HERE. IF THE POSTAL SERVICE WERE TO HAVE A MOTTO, I THINK THAT ONE'S A PRETTY GOOD ONE. SO THAT'S MY, DID YOU KNOW?
DALE: I LOVE IT. GREAT DID YOU KNOW SEGMENT, BUT HOW DO WE DETERMINE THE WINNER?
YASMINE: I CALL THIS ONE A TIE, WE BOTH WIN.
DALE: NOPE. I THINK I WON.
YASMINE: OKAY. WE'LL LEAVE IT THERE UNTIL THE NEXT EPISODE. DALE I REALLY ENJOYED OUR CONVERSATION WITH LYNN. I DIDN'T REALIZE THAT ZIP CODES HAD A MEANING FOR EACH NUMBER OR THAT THEY WERE SO SPECIFIC ALL THE WAY DOWN TO A BUILDING, OR A CITY BLOCK.
DALE: IT'S FASCINATING TO CONSIDER HOW RECENT ZIP CODES ARE TO THE UNITED STATES AND THE SENSE OF IDENTITY YOU CAN BRING TO COMMUNITIES THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY.
YASMINE: WELL THAT WRAPS UP THIS EPISODE OF MAILIN' IT! THANKS FOR JOINING US. NEXT EPISODE, WE'RE GOING TO SPEAK WITH POSTMASTER GENERAL LOUIS DeJOY ABOUT HIS 10 YEAR DELIVERING FOR AMERICA PLAN THAT WAS INTRODUCED BACK IN MARCH. WE'LL LEARN WHAT IT MEANS FOR THE FUTURE OF THE UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE.
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