Good morning, class. Today we're going to discuss the history of the postal service. Many people think that the first postal system was created in ancient Rome, but actually, it was the Persian Empire around 550 BC that established the first organized courier service. These couriers rode horses and used relay stations to deliver messages quickly across long distances. Later, in the 19th century, the invention of the postage stamp by Sir Rowland Hill in Britain in 1840 revolutionized the system, making it affordable for ordinary people to send letters. Before that, postage was usually paid by the recipient, which often caused problems.