What is a ZIP code? Definition and history of occurrence

Often, foreign websites ask for a ZIP code when registering a user. How to decipher this abbreviation, not everyone knows. What is a ZIP code? How did it come about and for what reasons? We will tell about this in our article.

What is a ZIP code?

The ZIP code stands for Zone Improvement Plan, which means "zone improvement plan" in English. ZIP code is a system of postal codes in the USA. They speed up the process of delivery and sorting of mail items and perform the same functions as Russian indexes. Unlike the usual six digits, the US ZIP code consists of nine, and they are written through a hyphen, for example 12345-6789.

The history of the appearance of the postal codes system in the USA

Postal systems of the United States began to use postal codes in the forties of the last century. They were then double-digit and meant a postal district within the boundaries of one city.

Already in the sixties in the country there was a need for a more concretized system. From the very beginning of July 1963, it had already started in the test mode. Its creator was Robert Moon, an employee of the US Postal Service. It is interesting that the world could have learned in 1944 what a ZIP code is, when Robert, as a simple postal inspector, developed this classifier.

The ZIP code at that time consisted of five characters, where the first three denoted the center for sorting letters, parcels and parcels, and the last two - the post office number, where they had to be delivered. Since 1967, the ZIP-indexing system has been declared mandatory throughout the United States. At that time in America, on TV screens, there was even a funny cartoon character Mr. Zip, or Zippy, urging citizens not to ignore the new system.

In 1983, it had to be complicated and added four more figures, specifying the place where it was necessary to deliver the correspondence, for example, a residential complex, a quarter, a branch of the company or a division of the organization.

Speaking of what a ZIP code is, you can not fail to mention that US government agencies use special numbers. These indexes of five and nine digits can not have any user of postal services in the district.