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A. label B. bears C. burdened D. illustrates E. implements F. guaranteed G. presented H. hit I. entry J. nationalized K. ground |
The "Penny Black", the first postage stamp issued in Britain and, more importantly, the first postage stamp issued anywhere, the image of Queen Victoria, but the first British postal service didn't originate in Victoria England. In 1860, William Dockwra started a public service that the quick delivery of a letter anywhere in London. His system was quickly with Dockwra in charge. It was far from a perfect system, with seemingly improper charges that made it unreasonably expensive to send a letter. Worse still, recipients were expected to pay. As you might imagine, this some problems—either people weren't home or flat—out refused to pay. The system just didn't work, but it remained in place for far too long.
About 50 years later, to do better, Rolland Hill argued for putting an end to the postal charges and replacing them with a single national rate of one penny, which would be paid by the sender. When the post office ignored Hill's ideas, he self-published his essay and it quickly gained among the public. Hill was then ordered by Postmaster General Lord Lichfield to discuss postal reform and ,during their subsequent meetings, the two men conceived of a gluy that could be applied to the envelops to indicate payment. Though it had gained support with the public who longed for a affordably way to connect with distant friends and family, officials were still not convinced. Thankfully, Hill was far from alone in his passion for reform. He eventually earned enough support from other like-minded individuals to convince Parliament to his system.
In 1839, Hill held a competition to design all the postal facility. The winning stamp describing the young queen's profile came from one William Wyon, who based the design on a medal he created to celebrate his first visit to London.
The "Penny Black" stamp went on sale on May 1, 1840. It was an immediate. Suddenly, the country seemed a lot smaller. The penny black's design was so well received that it remained in use for forty year.
