The US Postal System is one of the oldest federal bodies in the US, which is strongly tied in with the history of the country. Over the years, the USPS and postal jobs have evolved into the modern day postal office. On the other hand, this has allowed the USPS to have a rich history, which is both interesting and intriguing. The following are some of the most interesting facts about the US Postal and postal jobs:

1.Extremely Safe and Secure

The USPS is one of the most secure government service offered to US citizens. It has over 200 different federal laws which all offer protection to your mail in one capacity or another. This makes the USPS incredibly safe and secure and is also responsible for why it continues with such success.

2.High Earnings

In the USPS, the highest postal job that one can aspire to is postmaster general and it is a highly coveted position because of the higher earnings. In fact, a comparison of high-paying federal government jobs shows that the postmaster general ranks in at number 2 with a base pay of $276,840 per year. The highest one is of the US president with $400,000 per year and the postmaster general earns more than the vice president who makes $230,700 per year.

3.Their Own Federal Agency

As one of the oldest agencies in the US, the USPS has their own federal agency which is called the US Postal Inspection Service. They are tasked with investigating mail, deploying security measures to safeguard the mail and make postal jobs safer. With their vigilance, a lot of mail threats are effectively diffused.

4.In Line for the Presidency

President Jackson held the position of postmaster general in such high regard that he decided that they would be included in the Cabinet with the Treasury, the Secretaries of War and more. While they were still separated by other candidates, this put the postmaster general among the possible candidates for Commander in Chief. However, the postmaster general was removed from the Cabinet in 1971.

5.Harsh Punishments

Postal robberies were becoming so commonplace in the past Congress had to take severe measures to safeguard them. The USPS was the only thing relied on to send money at the time and theft of mail was incurring monumental losses. In 1799, the crime for stealing any mail included a public whipping and a maximum prison time of 10 years for a first time offence. Second time offenders were given the death sentence and this severe law wasn’t changed until 1872.

6.Delivering the Hope Diamond

In 1958, Harry Winston, the New York jeweler used the USPS to mail the Hope Diamond to the Smithsonian Museum. The Hope Diamond is a 45.25 carat stone which is now valued at $350 million and was sent through first class postage for $2.44 and an additional $142.50 to insure it. The diamond not only reached the Smithsonian securely but they also still have the original post packaging along with its postmarks.