On this day 230 years ago, the Second Continental Congress established the nation’s first post office department. So if the USPS has to raise prices in the next year or so and the price of a stamp goes up to 40 cents for a letter, just remember that that’s a ridiculously reasonable rate of inflation. (Plus, what else could you buy for 40 cents these days?)

Ben Franklin, our first postmaster general, earned a salary of $1000/year and had a secretary and a comptroller under him who each earned $340/year.

On a side note, Boston set up the first post office in the colonies in 1639. [Abby is correct; Massachusetts had finally approved the Constitution by 1939. Just shows I shouldn’t be allowed to play with numbers when I’m sleepy…]