Good morning, everyone. Today we're going to discuss the history of the postal service. Many people assume that the first stamps were introduced in Britain in 1840, but actually, the concept of prepaid postage existed earlier in some European cities. However, it was the British 'Penny Black' that standardized the use of adhesive stamps. Interestingly, the first official mail service in Britain was established in 1635, but it was only for royal correspondence. The public postal system didn't open until 1660. So, while the Penny Black is famous, it wasn't the first postal innovation.