Most of us use a postcode or ZIP code without giving it a second thought. But did you know that postal coding began long before computers?
London was using postal districts in the nineteenth century, Britain experimented with modern postcodes in Norwich in 1959, and the United States introduced nationwide ZIP codes in 1963.
One surprising fact is that postcodes were originally designed to help sort mail, not to pinpoint exact locations on maps!
A few questions for everyone:
- Does your country use letters, numbers or a mixture of both in its postal codes?
- Have you ever had a delivery go to the wrong place because of a postcode?
- Do you think postcodes are still as important now that we have GPS and digital mapping?
- Did you know how far back postal coding actually goes?
Read: How Did Postcodes Develop?
I'd be interested to hear how the system works where you live.