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→Primary state prefixes: Christina Williams dives into the topic of zip codes, exploring their origins, significance, and the intricacies of how they function in the U.S. postal system. The discussion highlights the history of postal codes, their evolution over time, and their importance in improving mail delivery efficiency, Tags: Reverted Visual edit |
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A '''ZIP Code''' (an acronym for '''Zone Improvement Plan'''<ref>{{cite web |title=Flashing Across the Country: Mr. Zip and the ZIP Code Promotional Campaign |url=https://postalmuseum.si.edu/flashing-across-the-country |publisher=Smithsonian National Postal Museum |access-date=30 May 2023 |first=Abby |last=Curtin |archive-date=May 30, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230530154715/https://postalmuseum.si.edu/flashing-across-the-country |url-status=live }}</ref>) is a system of [[postal code]]s used by the [[United States Postal Service]] (USPS). The term ''ZIP'' was chosen to suggest that the [[mail]] travels more efficiently and quickly<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.uspsoig.gov/sites/default/files/document-library-files/2015/rarc-wp-13-006_0.pdf|title=The Untold Story of the ZIP Code|date=April 1, 2013|website=U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General|access-date=March 11, 2020|quote=When Day unveiled the nationwide 5-digit ZIP Code at a postmasters’ convention in October of 1962, he simultaneously introduced the world to "Mr. ZIP" — the cartoon character whose body language symbolizes speedy delivery.|archive-date=December 29, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161229123814/https://www.uspsoig.gov/sites/default/files/document-library-files/2015/rarc-wp-13-006_0.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> ([[wikt:zip#Verb|zipping along]]) when senders use the code in the [[Address (geography)|postal address]]. The [[Philippine Postal Corporation]] also uses this terminology for the [[ZIP codes in the Philippines|postal code system]] in the [[Philippines]].<ref>{{Citation |title=ZIP Code Locator |url=https://phlpost.gov.ph/zip-code-locator/ |website=PhlPost |access-date=29 February 2020}}</ref>
Introduced on July 1, 1963, the basic format comprised five digits.<ref name=lblsccs>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=-LZWAAAAIBAJ&sjid=7OgDAAAAIBAJ&pg=3401%2C1173278 |work=Spokesman-Review |___location=(Spokane, Washington) |agency=Associated Press |title=ZIP Code is labeled a success |date=October 4, 1963 |page=6}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Terrell |first=Ellen |title=This Month in Business History: ZIP Code Introduced |url=https://guides.loc.gov/this-month-in-business-history/july/zip-code-introduced |access-date=2022-07-31 |website=Library of Congress Research Guides |language=en |date=June 28, 2013 |archive-date=October 29, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211029214050/https://guides.loc.gov/this-month-in-business-history/july/zip-code-introduced |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1983, an extended code was introduced named ''ZIP+4''; it included the five digits of the ZIP Code, followed by a hyphen and four digits that designated a more specific ___location.
''ZIP Code'' and ''ZIP+4'' are registered trademarks of the United States Postal Service, which also registered ''ZIP Code'' as a [[service mark]] until 1997.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://tarr.uspto.gov/servlet/tarr?regser=serial&entry=73001312|title=Latest Status Info|publisher=[[United States Patent and Trademark Office]]|access-date=22 December 2019|archive-date=June 30, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120630044408/http://tarr.uspto.gov/servlet/tarr?regser=serial|url-status=live}}</ref>
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=== Establishment ===
By the early 1960s, a more organized system was needed, and non-mandatory five-digit ZIP Codes were introduced nationwide on July 1, 1963.<ref name=lblsccs/> The USPOD issued its ''Publication 59: Abbreviations for Use with ZIP Code'' on October 1, 1963, with the list of [[List of U.S. state abbreviations|two-letter state abbreviations]] which are generally written with both letters capitalized.<ref name=USPS>[https://about.usps.com/who-we-are/postal-history/state-abbreviations.pdf "State Abbreviations", USPS.com] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170116005935/http://about.usps.com/who-we-are/postal-history/state-abbreviations.pdf |date=2017-01-16 }}.</ref> An earlier list, publicized in June 1963, had proposed capitalized abbreviations ranging from two to five letters.<ref name=USPS/> According to ''Publication 59'', the two-letter standard was "based on a maximum 23-position line, because this has been found to be the most universally acceptable line capacity basis for major addressing systems",<ref name=USPS/> which would be exceeded by a long city name combined with a multi-letter state abbreviation, such as "Sacramento, Calif." along with the ZIP Code. The abbreviations have remained unchanged, with the exception of [[Nebraska]], which was changed from NB to NE in 1969 at the request of the [[Canada Post|Canadian Post Office Department]], to avoid confusion with [[New Brunswick]].<ref name=USPS/>
[[Robert Moon (postal inspector)|Robert Moon]] is considered the father of the ZIP Code; he submitted his proposal in 1944 while working as a [[United States Postal Inspection Service|postal inspector]].<ref>Bullamore, Tim (2001). Robert Moon Obituary. Retrieved from https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/robert-moon-729034.html {{dead link|date=December 2019}}.</ref><ref>{{cite news | url = https://www.nytimes.com/2001/04/14/us/robert-moon-an-inventor-of-the-zip-code-dies-at-83.html | title = Robert Moon, an Inventor of the ZIP Code, Dies at 83 | first = Douglas | last = Martin | date = 2001-04-14 | newspaper = [[New York Times]] | access-date = 2017-09-23 | archive-date = February 17, 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200217102920/https://www.nytimes.com/2001/04/14/us/robert-moon-an-inventor-of-the-zip-code-dies-at-83.html | url-status = live }}</ref>
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