Good morning, class. Today we're going to discuss the history of the postal service. Before the 19th century, mail delivery was slow and unreliable. Letters were carried by horse riders or ships, and delivery could take weeks or even months. In 1840, the first postage stamp, the Penny Black, was introduced in Britain. This changed everything. It made prepayment possible and standardized the cost, regardless of distance. As a result, mail volume increased dramatically. By the late 19th century, railways and steamships sped up delivery, and the first international postal union was formed in 1874 to coordinate cross-border mail.