Remember postage stamps? Those little squares of adhesive currency that once felt like the pinnacle of sophistication when you peeled one off and slapped it onto an envelope? They were more than just a way to mail your aunt a birthday card - they were the face of a global communication empire. The postal service: the original global messaging app, albeit slower, sweatier, and involving far more horses than trolls or hashtags. Its origins stretch back to the great empires of Egypt, Persia, Rome, and beyond, where rulers dreamed up intricate courier networks to ensure their proclamations traveled faster than the next revolt. One might call it “FedEx for Pharaohs.”

Persia’s Angarium, a relay system staffed by couriers who treated sleep like it was optional and delivered messages with a speed that was nearly rebellious in itself, was a triumph of logistics and questionable work-life balance. Not to be outdone, the Romans built the cursus publicus, an imperial postal network so efficient you can practically hear Augustus muttering, “We should charge for express delivery”. These early systems were the domain of the elite - kings, emperors, and the occasional senator could send their missives across continents, but for the average citizen? Well, your cousin in Gaul wasn’t getting that hand-written papyrus postcard anytime soon.
By the 18th and 19th centuries, postal services entered their golden age, thanks to industrialization and the universal human urge to write down our every thought. Britain kicked off this postal revolution with the Penny Post in 1840, pairing Queen Victoria’s unsmiling visage with a flat mailing rate.

Other nations followed, building sprawling networks of mail trains, post offices, and exhausted couriers delivering everything from declarations of love to live chickens. The United States, never one to be outdone, introduced home delivery in 1863 - because nothing says democracy quite like dropping overdue bills directly into your home mailbox.
Postal services still persist in over 150 countries, though their heyday has largely passed. Once the backbone of communication, they now straddle a peculiar line between public utility and cultural relic. Today we’re going to delve into the colorful history of the postal services and explore some of the strangest items you’re officially allowed to send through the mail.
Unusual Mailboxes: Susami Bay, Japan - Under the Sea
In 1999, the local postmaster of the fishing village of Susami in the Wakayama Prefecture, Japan, installed a mailbox 32 feet beneath the surface to help boost tourism.

Since then, other underwater postboxes have popped up around the world, but the one in Susami Bay remains the most famous AND it holds the Guinness World record as the deepest postbox in the world. To date, over 40,000 postcards have been sent from this underwater mailbox. All you need is a waterproof postcard and stamps readily available from the local dive shop. And for added value, you can also buy edible squid-ink-based postcards.
Ancient Egypt
The very first recorded postal service in history belongs to ancient Egypt, where the Pharaohs established a courier system as far back as 2400 BCE. It wasn’t exactly mail as we know it - ancient Egyptians weren’t sending hieroglyphic “Wish You Were Here” postcards from the Nile - but it was an official communication network. Pharaohs needed to keep their sprawling empire in check, and what better way to do that than by dispatching scribes and couriers to spread royal decrees faster than you could build a pyramid?

This early postal service relied on a network of runners who would carry messages written on papyrus scrolls or clay tablets. These messages were often directives from the Pharaoh to his administrators, ensuring taxes were collected, construction projects remained on schedule, and rebellions were promptly squashed. These couriers traversed vast distances, enduring harsh desert climates, sandstorms, and the occasional crocodile-infested waterway. Efficiency wasn’t exactly their strong suit - there were no paved roads or relay stations - but for the time, it was cutting-edge governance. This postal service was strictly for official use, reinforcing the divine authority of the Pharaoh. Think of it less as “rain, sleet, or snow” but more as “all hail the god-king, and also here’s your tax bill.”
Don’t Forget Your Stamp: Radioactive Mail
Most people probably hold the reasonable assumption that it's not possible to send radioactive material in the mail. After all, such material is usually tightly controlled and regulated. However, as long as the samples are not classified as dangerous according to a set of legal guidelines, radioactive items can be sent via the Royal Mail in the UK. The only special instructions are that the material should be surrounded with protective cushioning and the return address should be clearly labeled. Now sure, sending radioactive material might sound like the setup to a nuclear disaster, but as long as it’s bubble-wrapped and clearly labeled, what could possibly go wrong?

The Persian Angarium: The OG Mail Network
The Persian Empire’s Angarium was the next major postal system, established under the reign of Darius I (521–486 BCE). This network of relay stations connected the far corners of the empire, covering around 1,500 miles of the Royal Road - from Sardis in modern-day Turkey to Susa in modern-day Iran. Couriers on horseback would ride at breakneck speed, swapping mounts at these stations to maintain a blistering pace.

Herodotus, the ancient Greek historian, marveled at their efficiency, claiming, “Neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night” could stop them - a line so catchy it later inspired the unofficial motto of the United States Postal Service.
Of course, this service wasn’t for birthday cards or love letters. It was exclusively for the Persian king and his officials, ensuring decrees and intelligence zipped across the empire faster than rebellions could brew. And while the system’s speed was legendary, the couriers themselves weren’t exactly living the dream. The Angarium was compulsory service, often performed under threat of punishment. Efficient? Yes. Humane? Not so much.
Unusual Mailboxes: Bigger is Better
For reasons unknown to us, the small town of Casey, Illinois, USA is made for giants. Scattered around are some of the world’s largest items, including a rocking chair, wind chime, crochet hook, and a pitchfork. You’ll feel like a hobbit walking around, under, and inside these monumental sculptures. Naturally, there’s also the largest mailbox in the world.

This letterbox is fully functional, and your visit wouldn’t be complete without sending a (normal-sized) postcard.
The Roman Cursus Publicus: Bureaucracy on Wheels
The Romans, never ones to be outdone in matters of infrastructure, took the postal baton and ran with it - literally. Their cursus publicus (translation: “public way”) was established by Emperor Augustus in the 1st century BCE and became the backbone of Roman administration.

Relay stations, known as mutationes (for changing horses) and mansiones (for resting overnight), dotted the empire’s vast network of roads. Couriers could cover up to 50 miles a day – on foot. A pretty remarkable feat.
Like the Persian system, the cursus publicus was reserved for government use. Officials carried special permits called diplomas to authorize their use of the system, ensuring only sanctioned messages (and occasionally, spies) traveled along its routes. The service was so tightly regulated that unauthorized use could result in severe penalties, possibly even exile or death. As for the workers - often conscripted locals - they bore the brunt of the physical labor, maintaining stations, caring for horses, and managing deliveries.
Don’t Forget Your Stamp: Children
Although it's no longer technically possible to send a living human in the mail, it used to be perfectly legal to send small children in packages.

However, the practice was frowned upon and was only legal because of a loophole in the system that came along when the US Postal Service introduced the option of shipping large packages. Parents began sending their children in the mail, especially using the new train mail service, as the postage was far cheaper than travel costs. Mailing children wasn’t just cost effective, it was the ultimate ‘hand-free parenting’. Today, we’d probably call it express daycare.
China’s Han Dynasty: Galloping Scrolls
The 4th century CE Han Dynasty’s postal service was the ancient equivalent of a state-sponsored Wi-Fi network – a bit slower, sure, but revolutionary for its time. China’s courier system was a sprawling network of relay stations that connected the empire’s vast territories. These weren’t your casual neighborhood post offices; they were well-organized hubs strategically placed every 30-40 kilometers along major roads. Here, couriers could swap tired horses for fresh ones, grab a meal, and then get back on the road before they could mutter, “Do I really get paid enough for this?”

The system wasn’t just functional; it was meticulously hierarchical. Messages were color-coded based on urgency, with imperial decrees wrapped in scarlet to scream "urgent" before the concept of all-caps emails existed. Couriers were required to gallop through rain, snow, or barbarian territory to deliver the emperor’s orders, even if it meant risking life and limb.
For the average Han citizen? Forget about it. As we’ve come to expect from these ancient civilizations, the service was strictly for government business - military dispatches, tax edicts, and, presumably, the emperor’s occasional request for fresh lychee. But the system was tremendously efficient. It was bureaucratic brilliance at its finest - a precursor to the global postal systems we know today, minus the stamps and pesky junk mail.
Unusual Mailboxes: A Mailbox for the Millennial

The Royal Mail: Posts for the Privileged
In 1635, King Charles I, in a rare moment of generosity or, more likely, out of sheer financial necessity, formalized the Royal Mail and opened it up to public use. Before this, the postal system was strictly the domain of the monarchy and the nobility. But Charles decided that letting regular people send letters could be a lucrative side hustle for the crown.

Of course, “public use” meant a hefty fee that ensured only the well-to-do could afford the luxury of communicating by post. For everyone else, sending a letter meant begging a ride from a traveling merchant or trusting your cousin’s third-best mule. Still, it was a start - England’s first tentative steps toward a postal service that, one day, would even deliver those dubious holiday cards your relatives insist on sending.
The Royal Post of the 17th century was a somewhat ramshackle affair, reliant on horseback couriers galloping along muddy roads, dodging robbers and the occasional runaway cow. But for all its quirks, it was remarkably efficient, connecting major cities and towns with surprising regularity. Letters were sealed with wax, stamped with a mark of authenticity, and handed off to riders who - at least in theory - would get them to their destination without reading your private musings about the neighbor’s scandalous goings on.

It was the start of a communication revolution, even if it was one horse and hefty fee at a time.
Don’t Forget Your Stamp: Snow
For many people, snow is just a nuisance that they have to put up with every winter. However, for those who never get to experience a white Christmas, getting your hands on some of that fluffy white substance can be very appealing. That is partly why one man began a business sending snow from Massachusetts (at a steal of $89, no less) to other parts of the US – all thanks to the fact that sending snow is perfectly legal. Of

course, the snow has to be packed in insulated containers, so it doesn’t melt, but the USPS has no problem delivering it.
The USPS: From Franklin to Lincoln and Beyond
The United States Postal Service began its journey in 1775, just as the colonies were deciding they’d had enough of British tea taxes and royal micromanagement. Benjamin Franklin was appointed as the first Postmaster General by the Continental Congress. Franklin streamlined the system, made it profitable, and essentially turned it into the closest thing 18th-century America had to a functioning government department. But, by the time the Revolution wrapped up, he was unceremoniously let go. Maybe he was too busy inventing bifocals to manage delivery routes. (Ben)

Fast forward a few decades, and the postal service became the employer of none other than Abraham Lincoln. Before his stint as the Great Emancipator, young Abe worked as a postmaster in New Salem, Illinois, where he reportedly hand-delivered mail himself. It’s said he even carried letters in his hat, making him both a walking inbox and a pioneer of multitasking. While Lincoln’s postal career was short-lived, it certainly added to his reputation as a man of the people - because nothing says “relatable” like trudging through the mud to deliver someone’s overdue subscription to The Farmer’s Almanac straight from his stovepipe hat. (side note of interest – Abraham Lincoln has been featured on stamps from more than 50 countries)

By 1863, the U.S. postal service decided to get truly democratic by introducing free home delivery in urban areas. Finally, Americans didn’t have to trek to the post office to collect their bills, love letters, or dubious advertisements for miracle elixirs. Rural delivery followed a few decades later, ensuring that even the most isolated farmhouses could experience the thrill of junk mail.
Unusual Mailboxes: Welcome?

The postal service, for all its quirks, might just be humanity’s greatest testament to stubborn optimism. Across centuries and empires, from ancient couriers dodging crocodiles in Egypt to Pony Express riders braving the untamed West, we’ve always found ways to deliver our thoughts, dreams, and overdue tax payments. And as society evolved, so did the mail - from papyrus scrolls and wax-sealed letters to the occasional mailable child or snowball. It’s a journey that reflects not just our ingenuity but also our dogged determination to stay connected, no matter how impractical the methods.
But here’s the thing: the postal service has always been more than just a delivery system. It’s a mirror of our societies, reflecting everything from power structures to cultural quirks. It’s bureaucracy with a heartbeat, delivering messages that range from world-changing declarations to mundane grocery lists. And while its relevance might be challenged in the age of instant messaging and drone deliveries, there’s something charmingly analog about sending a tangible piece of yourself through time and space. It's proof that connection - however it’s achieved - still matters.
Of course, the postal service hasn’t been immune to human folly. We've seen schemes like the Pony Express, brilliant in theory but hilariously unsustainable, a financial flop that lasted only 18 months. Or the heyday of bizarre parcels - live chickens, radioactive material, even entire children. And yet, for all its eccentricities, the mail has endured, delivering not just the goods but also a sense of continuity in a world obsessed with speed. It’s a reminder that sometimes the slow, deliberate act of sending a handwritten letter carries more weight than a million texts ever could.
Today, the postal service occupies a strange niche: too essential to vanish but too antiquated to dominate. It’s like the vinyl records of communication – charming, nostalgic, and always slightly warped by the journey.
So next time you grumble over a misplaced package or a holiday card arriving in July, take comfort in knowing you’re participating in a tradition older than democracy and nearly as absurd in its beauty. A system born of kings and empires, carried forward by scrappy colonies, and now powered by overworked couriers and fading tradition. It’s not just mail - it’s a legacy of human connection. And in a world increasingly defined by fleeting digital interactions, that might just be worth holding onto.
Unusual Mailboxes: Exactly Where We’d Like to Stick all that Junk Mail

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I love knowing that those of us commoners are so privileged to use a system specifically designed by kings and queens! I am old fashioned and still like mailing note cards, than sending texts or emails for thank you’s and personal notes.
But with today’s desire for instant gratification, maybe waiting for a notecard thanking them is viewed as rude?!?! Hmmmm. Maybe instant is as personal as a notecard and I am just a dinosaur (no need to respond, my daughters have already confirmed).
Oh well, if you are looking for a thank you, you’ll just have to wait for my snail mail thank you note!