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🎧 Listening Transcript

Good morning, everyone. Today we're going to discuss the history of the postal service. Now, many people think that the first stamps were introduced in the UK, and that's true. However, the first adhesive stamp, the Penny Black, was actually issued in 1840. But interestingly, the idea of prepaying postage dates back earlier. In 1837, Sir Rowland Hill proposed a uniform rate of one penny for any letter weighing under half an ounce. This was a revolutionary change because previously, postage was calculated by distance and number of sheets. The Penny Black featured a profile of Queen Victoria and was printed in black. It was soon replaced by the Penny Red in 1841 because the black stamp was difficult to cancel with a black postmark.