Mr. ZIP celebrates 40th birthday

WASHINGTON -- The ZIP code, that string of numbers on virtually every piece of mail, is 40 years old.

It was July 1, 1963, when ZIP codes first went into use, a time of 5-cent postage and one-third the amount of mail as today.

Postal officials say it's thanks to things like the ZIP code that they can now carry triple the amount of mail to 50 percent more people.

"Mr. ZIP helped to usher in the age of high technology," explained postal historian Meg Ausman, commenting on the stick figure with a mailbag used to publicize the new codes. "He helped make the business of conducting commerce in America through the mail more efficient, reliable and cost-effective."

In 1963, the five-cent first-class stamp only covered 80 percent of postal costs, with taxpayer subsidies covering the rest. Today's 37-cent rate is close to the same price, considering inflation, officials say.

In 1963 the Post Office Department delivered 68 billion pieces of mail to 188 million customers at less than 60 million addresses. Today the U.S. Postal Service delivers 203 billion pieces of mail to 291 million Americans at more than 141 million addresses.

ZIP stands for Zoning Improvement Plan.

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On the Net: U.S. Postal Service: http://www.usps.com