National Postal Museum | smithsonianmag.comhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/national-postal-museum/RSS feed for National Postal MuseumenMon, 20 Oct 2025 12:00:00 +0000Why Did the U.S. Post Office Start Airmail So Early? And More Questions From Our Readershttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/why-did-the-us-post-office-start-airmail-so-early-and-more-questions-from-our-readers-180987469/You’ve got questions. We’ve got expertsMon, 20 Oct 2025 12:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/why-did-the-us-post-office-start-airmail-so-early-and-more-questions-from-our-readers-180987469/Celebrate the 250th Anniversary of the U.S. Postal Service With These 15 Photographshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/celebrate-250th-anniversary-us-postal-service-these-15-photographs-180987040/These shots from the Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest are truly a dream deliveryFri, 25 Jul 2025 11:55:30 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/celebrate-250th-anniversary-us-postal-service-these-15-photographs-180987040/Eleven Fascinating Acquisitions That Joined the Smithsonian’s Vast Collections in 2024https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/eleven-fascinating-acquisitions-that-joined-the-smithsonians-vast-collections-in-2024-180985754/This year, the Institution collected everything from the stunning shell of an extinct cephalopod to a Blue Origin rocket boosterTue, 31 Dec 2024 17:42:17 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/eleven-fascinating-acquisitions-that-joined-the-smithsonians-vast-collections-in-2024-180985754/Kids Send Thousands of Letters to Santa Each Year. Here's What Really Happens to Themhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/kids-send-thousands-of-letters-to-santa-each-year-heres-what-really-happens-to-them-180967542/The United States Postal Service and volunteers have responded to North Pole holiday correspondence over the past centuryThu, 14 Dec 2017 11:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/kids-send-thousands-of-letters-to-santa-each-year-heres-what-really-happens-to-them-180967542/What the Long History of Mail-In Voting in the U.S. Reveals About the Election Processhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/what-the-long-history-of-mail-in-voting-in-the-us-reveals-about-the-election-process-180985195/A recent exhibition shows how soldiers sent in votes during the Civil War and World War II, as many Americans would in 2020 following the spread of the Covid-19 pandemicFri, 04 Oct 2024 15:30:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/what-the-long-history-of-mail-in-voting-in-the-us-reveals-about-the-election-process-180985195/First Known Piece of Mail Sent Using a Stamp Goes to Auctionhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/first-piece-of-mail-sent-using-a-stamp-auction-180983619/The 183-year-old envelope is a rare example of two early forms of prepaid postage: Mulready envelopes and adhesive stampsThu, 18 Jan 2024 22:08:40 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/first-piece-of-mail-sent-using-a-stamp-auction-180983619/Twenty-Four Smithsonian Shows to See in 2024https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/twenty-four-smithsonian-shows-to-see-in-2024-180983558/Election-year items, truth serum, Nigerian art and a pioneering self-driving car are on display this yearThu, 11 Jan 2024 14:56:58 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/twenty-four-smithsonian-shows-to-see-in-2024-180983558/When a Labyrinth of Pneumatic Tubes Shuttled Mail Beneath the Streets of New York Cityhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/when-a-labyrinth-of-pneumatic-tubes-shuttled-mail-beneath-the-streets-of-new-york-city-180983472/Powered by compressed air, the system transported millions of letters between 1897 and 1953Fri, 22 Dec 2023 12:15:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/when-a-labyrinth-of-pneumatic-tubes-shuttled-mail-beneath-the-streets-of-new-york-city-180983472/Why Collectors Fall Head Over Heels for the 'Inverted Jenny' Stamphttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/collectors-fall-head-over-heels-inverted-jenny-postage-stamp-180983237/One of the rare 24-cent misprints sold at auction this week for a record-breaking $2 millionTue, 14 Nov 2023 15:20:46 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/collectors-fall-head-over-heels-inverted-jenny-postage-stamp-180983237/The Revolutionary Role Mail Played in America’s Fight for Independencehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/the-revolutionary-role-mail-played-in-americas-fight-for-independence-180980687/Hear about the colonial period postal service in the latest "Portraits" podcastTue, 06 Sep 2022 17:34:26 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/the-revolutionary-role-mail-played-in-americas-fight-for-independence-180980687/