On This Day

US Post Office Department is authorized to issue postage stamps

A postage stamp is a small piece of paper issued by a post office, postal administration, or other authorized vendors to customers who pay postage (the cost involved in moving, insuring, or...

A postage stamp is a small piece of paper issued by a post office, postal administration, or other authorized vendors to customers who pay postage (the cost involved in moving, insuring, or registering mail). Then the stamp is affixed to the face or address-side of any item of mail—an envelope or other postal cover (e.g., packet, box, mailing cylinder)—which they wish to send. The item is then processed by the postal system, where a postmark or cancellation mark—in modern usage indicating date and point of origin of mailing—is applied to the stamp and its left and right sides to prevent its reuse.

Historical Significance

A postage stamp is a small piece of paper issued by a post office, postal administration, or other authorized vendors to customers who pay postage (the cost involved in moving, insuring, or registering mail).

Events Before

  1. Legislative Assembly of Yucatán declares independence from Mexico

    Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to...

  2. Thornton Affair: Open conflict begins over the disputed border of Texas, triggering the Mexican–American War

    Texas ( TEK-səss) is the most populous state in the South of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the west, and an...

  3. First officially recognized baseball game (played by Cartwright Rules) - NY Nine defeats the NY Knickerbockers 23-1 in H

    First officially recognized baseball game (played by Cartwright Rules) - NY Nine defeats the NY Knickerbockers 23-1 in Hoboken, New Jersey

  4. US Act of Congress passes establishment of the Smithsonian Institution, now the world's largest museum and research comp

    US Act of Congress passes establishment of the Smithsonian Institution, now the world's largest museum and research complex

  5. Italian "The Barber of Seville" opera composer Gioachino Rossini (54) marries 2nd wife, French model Olympe Pélissier (4

    Italian "The Barber of Seville" opera composer Gioachino Rossini (54) marries 2nd wife, French model Olympe Pélissier (47) in Paris, France

Events After

  1. British forces forcibly seize the port of San Juan del Norte (later Greytown) from Nicaragua

    British forces forcibly seize the port of San Juan del Norte (later Greytown) from Nicaragua

  2. James Marshall finds gold in Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California [1]

    The California gold rush (1848–1855) was a gold rush in California, which began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California.

  3. Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ends the Mexican–American War. Mexico loses 55 percent of its territory to the US, including

    Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ends the Mexican–American War. Mexico loses 55 percent of its territory to the US, including California, Nevada and Utah in exchange for $15 million.

  4. Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels publish "The Communist Manifesto" in London

    The Communist Manifesto (German: Das Kommunistische Manifest), originally the Manifesto of the Communist Party (Manifest der Kommunistischen Partei), is a political pamphlet written by Karl Marx and…

  5. Confederate General James Longstreet (27) weds Maria Louisa Garland in Lynchburg, Virginia

    Confederate General James Longstreet (27) weds Maria Louisa Garland in Lynchburg, Virginia

More from the 1840s

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on March 3, 1847?
A postage stamp is a small piece of paper issued by a post office, postal administration, or other authorized vendors to customers who pay postage (the cost involved in moving, insuring, or registering mail). Then the stamp is affixed to the face or address-side of any item of mail—an envelope or other postal cover (e.g., packet, box, mailing cylinder)—which they wish to send. The item is then processed by the postal system, where a postmark or cancellation mark—in modern usage indicating date and point of origin of mailing—is applied to the stamp and its left and right sides to prevent its reuse.
Why is US Post Office Department is authorized to issue postage stamps significant?
A postage stamp is a small piece of paper issued by a post office, postal administration, or other authorized vendors to customers who pay postage (the cost involved in moving, insuring, or registering mail).

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