July 26
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1775 - United States Postal Service Began.
On this day in 1775, the U.S. postal system is established by the Second Continental Congress, with Benjamin Franklin as its first postmaster general. Franklin (1706-1790) put in place the foundation for many aspects of today's mail system. During early colonial times in the 1600s, few American colonists needed to send mail to each other; it was more likely that their correspondence was with letter writers in Britain. Mail deliveries from across the Atlantic were sporadic and could take many months to arrive. There were no post offices in the colonies, so mail was typically left at inns and taverns. In 1753, Benjamin Franklin, who had been postmaster of Philadelphia, became one of two joint postmasters general for the colonies. He made numerous improvements to the mail system, including setting up new, more efficient colonial routes and cutting delivery time in half between Philadelphia and New York by having the weekly mail wagon travel both day and night via relay teams. Franklin also debuted the first rate chart, which standardized delivery costs based on distance and weight. In 1774, the British fired Franklin from his postmaster job because of his revolutionary activities. However, the following year, he was appointed postmaster general of the United Colonies by the Continental Congress. Franklin held the job until late in 1776, when he was sent to France as a diplomat. He left a vastly improved mail system, with routes from Florida to Maine and regular service between the colonies and Britain. President George Washington appointed Samuel Osgood, a former Massachusetts congressman, as the first postmaster general of the American nation under the new U.S. constitution in 1789. At the time, there were approximately 75 post offices in the country.
Today, the United States has over 40,000 post offices and the postal service delivers 212 billion pieces of mail each year to over 144 million homes and businesses in the United States, Puerto Rico, Guam, the American Virgin Islands and American Samoa. The postal service is the nation's largest civilian employer, with over 700,000 career workers, who handle more than 44 percent of the world's cards and letters. The postal service is a not-for-profit, self-supporting agency that covers its expenses through postage (stamp use in the United States started in 1847) and related products. The postal service gets the mail delivered, rain or shine, using everything from planes to mules. However, it's not cheap: The U.S. Postal Service says that when fuel costs go up by just one penny, its own costs rise by $8 million. (www.history.com/this-day-in-history/us-postal-system-established)
Thank God today for the Post Office and for mail senice. Take advantage of this day and write a letter of love and appreciation to someone dear to you.
1788 - New York was Admitted to the Union.
Pray for God's people in this beautiful state. Pray for preachers who labor there. In many respects New York is the heartbeat of the nation. Think what revival there could mean to America.
1856 - The Birthday of George Bernard Shaw.
Today is the birthday of George Bernard Shaw, the famous English author. Thank God today for authors and take advantage of the privilege of reading good books. One with little formal education could become well educated by reading. Let us thank God today for the blessing of reading. In our church in Hammond we have three blind people who attend services regularly and who are members of our church. Every time I see them I want to shout the praises of God for my eyesight. As I see them read in Braille, I thank God for my vision. They never see the sunrise or sunset, the beauty of the trees budding in the springtime, the flowers, the meadows, the beauty of nature. I am dictating this page driving on Lake Shore in Chicago. Lake Michigan is to my right. What a scene! What a blessing it is to be able to see and enjoy the blessings of God's handiwork! What a blessing it is to be able to read! Take advantage of this blessing today.
Meditate Today on Psalm 8.
I was meditating today on Psalm 8, which is one of my favorites. Read the 8th Psalm and realize that all of God's creation was made for man. In spite of the fact that God has a huge universe and there are millions of people on the earth, God is conscious of each of us. Bask in the sunlight of His love for you personally today. Thank Him for a personal relationship with Him. He tells us to call Him "Abba, Father," which is much like our word "Papa." He wants us to call Him by a personal name. He leads us personally, feeds us personally, and loves us individually. Praise His name for this blessed truth today.
On this day in 1775, the U.S. postal system is established by the Second Continental Congress, with Benjamin Franklin as its first postmaster general. Franklin (1706-1790) put in place the foundation for many aspects of today's mail system. During early colonial times in the 1600s, few American colonists needed to send mail to each other; it was more likely that their correspondence was with letter writers in Britain. Mail deliveries from across the Atlantic were sporadic and could take many months to arrive. There were no post offices in the colonies, so mail was typically left at inns and taverns. In 1753, Benjamin Franklin, who had been postmaster of Philadelphia, became one of two joint postmasters general for the colonies. He made numerous improvements to the mail system, including setting up new, more efficient colonial routes and cutting delivery time in half between Philadelphia and New York by having the weekly mail wagon travel both day and night via relay teams. Franklin also debuted the first rate chart, which standardized delivery costs based on distance and weight. In 1774, the British fired Franklin from his postmaster job because of his revolutionary activities. However, the following year, he was appointed postmaster general of the United Colonies by the Continental Congress. Franklin held the job until late in 1776, when he was sent to France as a diplomat. He left a vastly improved mail system, with routes from Florida to Maine and regular service between the colonies and Britain. President George Washington appointed Samuel Osgood, a former Massachusetts congressman, as the first postmaster general of the American nation under the new U.S. constitution in 1789. At the time, there were approximately 75 post offices in the country.
Today, the United States has over 40,000 post offices and the postal service delivers 212 billion pieces of mail each year to over 144 million homes and businesses in the United States, Puerto Rico, Guam, the American Virgin Islands and American Samoa. The postal service is the nation's largest civilian employer, with over 700,000 career workers, who handle more than 44 percent of the world's cards and letters. The postal service is a not-for-profit, self-supporting agency that covers its expenses through postage (stamp use in the United States started in 1847) and related products. The postal service gets the mail delivered, rain or shine, using everything from planes to mules. However, it's not cheap: The U.S. Postal Service says that when fuel costs go up by just one penny, its own costs rise by $8 million. (www.history.com/this-day-in-history/us-postal-system-established)
Thank God today for the Post Office and for mail senice. Take advantage of this day and write a letter of love and appreciation to someone dear to you.
1788 - New York was Admitted to the Union.
Pray for God's people in this beautiful state. Pray for preachers who labor there. In many respects New York is the heartbeat of the nation. Think what revival there could mean to America.
1856 - The Birthday of George Bernard Shaw.
Today is the birthday of George Bernard Shaw, the famous English author. Thank God today for authors and take advantage of the privilege of reading good books. One with little formal education could become well educated by reading. Let us thank God today for the blessing of reading. In our church in Hammond we have three blind people who attend services regularly and who are members of our church. Every time I see them I want to shout the praises of God for my eyesight. As I see them read in Braille, I thank God for my vision. They never see the sunrise or sunset, the beauty of the trees budding in the springtime, the flowers, the meadows, the beauty of nature. I am dictating this page driving on Lake Shore in Chicago. Lake Michigan is to my right. What a scene! What a blessing it is to be able to see and enjoy the blessings of God's handiwork! What a blessing it is to be able to read! Take advantage of this blessing today.
Meditate Today on Psalm 8.
I was meditating today on Psalm 8, which is one of my favorites. Read the 8th Psalm and realize that all of God's creation was made for man. In spite of the fact that God has a huge universe and there are millions of people on the earth, God is conscious of each of us. Bask in the sunlight of His love for you personally today. Thank Him for a personal relationship with Him. He tells us to call Him "Abba, Father," which is much like our word "Papa." He wants us to call Him by a personal name. He leads us personally, feeds us personally, and loves us individually. Praise His name for this blessed truth today.