On July 26, 1775, the U.S. postal system was established by the
Second Continental Congress, with Benjamin Franklin as its first postmaster general. Franklin (1706-1790) put in place the
foundation for many aspects of today’s mail system.

Anyone who needs stamps might want to head out and grab
them before the United States Postal Service’s latest price
hikes go into effect this weekend. (FOX NEWS)

The cost of a "forever" stamp for first-class mail is rising from
63 to 66 cents Sunday as part of increased mailing prices
approved by the Postal Regulatory Commission earlier this
year at the request of the USPS. The USPS said it needed more
money in part due to high inflation.

Painting depicting the first Pony Express rider arriving in
Sacramento.

On April 3, 1860, the first Pony Express mail, traveling by horse
and rider relay teams, simultaneously left St. Joseph, Missouri,
and Sacramento, California. Ten days later, on April 13, the
westbound rider and mail packet completed the approximately
1,800-mile journey and arrived in Sacramento, beating the
eastbound packet’s arrival in St. Joseph by two days and setting
a new standard for speedy mail delivery. Although ultimately
short-lived and unprofitable, the Pony Express captivated
America’s imagination and helped win federal aid for a more
economical overland postal system. It also contributed to the
economy of the towns on its route and served the mail-service
needs of the American West in the days before the telegraph
or an efficient transcontinental railroad.