• 371.3 million — average number of mail pieces processed and delivered each day.

• 15.5 million — average number of mail pieces processed each hour.

• 257,813 — average number of mail pieces processed each minute.

• 4,297 — average number of mail pieces processed each second.

• Benjamin Franklin was appointed the first postmaster general in 1775.

• The first postage stamps were issued in 1847.

• The Pony Express began in 1860, and free letter delivery in cities began in 1863.

• Airmail was established in 1918.

• ZIP codes were established in 1963.

• The United States Postal Service began operations as an independent agency following the Postal Reorganization Act in 1971.

• Self-adhesive stamps were rolled out in 1992.

• The first Forever stamp was issued in 2007.