We here at “Pushing the Envelope” want to wish all our readers a very happy, healthy, and safe Fourth of July. On this day we mark the 246th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence — a document that heralded the start of our great experiment in democracy. Since then, the United States has become a beacon of hope and freedom throughout the world.
It’s that time again — when we look back and rank what we think were the top 10 postal stories of the year! As it did in 2020, the U.S. Postal Service saw its fair share of important news stories in 2021. Some are obvious, like the pandemic’s ongoing impacts on staffing and service thanks to the arrival of yet another variant, while others might be less obvious. Here’s our countdown, in reverse order, of our view of the most important postal news reports in 2021. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below and whether you think we missed anything.
Today, the nation celebrates its 245th birthday. Did you know that in just a few weeks the U.S. Postal Service will mark its 246th? That’s right, July 26, 1775 — the day the Second Continental Congress appointed Ben Franklin as its first postmaster general — is recognized as the start of America’s postal services. Franklin was the perfect candidate to helm the new nation’s own mail system, as he oversaw the British colonial mail service that was being replaced.
