Fergie's Tech Blog

1 July 1963: ZIP Codes are Introduced in the U.S.

A ZIP code is the postal code used by the United States Postal Service (USPS), which always writes ZIP with capital letters. ZIP is an acronym for the Zoning Improvement Plan but was also meant to suggest that mail travels more efficiently (and therefore faster) when senders use it.

The basic format consists of five numerical digits. An extended ZIP+4 code includes the five digits of the ZIP code, a hyphen and then four more digits, which allow a piece of mail to be directed to a more precise location than by the ZIP code alone. ZIP Code was originally registered as a trademark by the U.S. Postal Service but its registration has since expired.

On July 1, 1963, non-mandatory ZIP codes were announced for the whole country. Robert Moon, an employee of the post office, is considered the father of the ZIP code. He submitted his proposal in 1944 while working as a postal inspector.

The post office only gives credit to Moon for the first three digits of the ZIP code, which describe the region of the country. In most cases, the last two digits coincide with the older postal zone number...

posted by Fergie @ 6/30/2006 10:01:00 PM