Good morning, class. Today we're going to discuss the history of the postal service. Many people assume that stamps were introduced in the 19th century, but in fact, the first adhesive stamp, the Penny Black, was issued in Britain in 1840. However, an even earlier form of prepaid postage existed in France in the 1650s, though it wasn't widely adopted. The key point is that the modern postal system as we know it, with standardized rates and stamps, really began with the reforms of Rowland Hill in the 1840s. His idea was to charge by weight, not distance, which made postage affordable for ordinary people.