July 1
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1963: The ZIP codeâs rocky introduction
On this day in 1963, the U.S. Post Office Department debuted the ZIP code, and it ushered in the age of electronic mail sorting. Americans were reluctant at firstâtheyâd barely gotten used to telephone area codes. It took almost three years for enough people to embrace the five-digit code for electronic scanning to be widely deployed. But once those mechanized optical scanners got going, they could fly, sorting 36,000 pieces of mail each hour. In 1983 the USPS added the ZIP+4.
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National Postal Museum (2026.1.17); Photo Illustration EncyclopĂŠdia Britannica, Inc.
Featured Event
EncyclopĂŠdia Britannica, Inc.
Dominion of Canada established
The Dominion of Canada was formed this day in 1867, an event subsequently celebrated as an annual Canadian holiday (its current name, Canada Day, was adopted in 1982) marked by parades, fireworks, and the display of flags. [Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about Canada.]
Featured Biography
Featured Biography
Glenn Harvey/Alamy
At a dinner following the opera, she walked, alone, down a huge winding staircase without ever looking at her feet, so we knew she was a princess. But at dinner she ate like your sister, tearing into her meal with a kind of wanton delight, turning aside her lady-in-waitingâs insistence that it was time to be leaving with the flat observation that dessert hadnât come yet.
Born this day in 1961, Princess Dianaâconsort (1981â96) of Prince Charles and mother of Princes William and Harryâwas widely admired for her charity work and style, and her 1997 death caused a massive outpouring of grief.
Famous Birthdays
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Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead
2020
The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), a controversial trade pact that took effect in 1994, was replaced by the United StatesâMexicoâCanada Agreement (USMCA).
© 1951 Warner Brothers, Inc.; photograph from a private collection
2004
Iconic American motion-picture and stage actor Marlon Brando, the most celebrated of the method actors, died at age 80. [Test your knowledge of movie stars.]
© aniel127001/Dreamstime.com
2002
The International Criminal Courtâestablished to prosecute and adjudicate individuals accused of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanityâbegan sittings.
© Wilfredo RodrĂguez (A Britannica Publishing Partner)
1997
The crown colony of Hong Kong officially reverted to Chinese sovereignty, ending 156 years of British rule. [Watch an overview of Hong Kong.]
Courtesy of Sony Electronics Inc.
1979
Sony began selling its Walkman, a portable cassette player; an international sensation, the device changed the way people listened to music. [Sort fact from fiction in our gadgets and technology quiz.]
© AP/IAEA
1968
The United States, the United Kingdom, the U.S.S.R., and 59 other states signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty in an attempt to halt the spread of nuclear weapons. [Take our weapons and warfare quiz.]
1934 Fox Film Corporation/Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
1934
Enforcement of the Hays Codeâa set of guidelines regulating the moral content of Hollywood filmsâbegan. [Learn more about the people, places, and events that shaped the 1930s.]
AP
1903
The first Tour de France began, and the race went on to become cyclingâs most prestigious and difficult event. [Sort fact from fiction in our Tour de France quiz.]
Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. (LC-USZC4-2088)
1863
The Battle of Gettysburg, one of the most important battles of the American Civil War, began. [Who won which Civil War battle?]
Photos.com/Jupiterimages
1690
In the Battle of the Boyne, King William III of England defeated former king James II, who was attempting to take back the throne. [Match the battle with the war in our quiz.]
Photos.com/Getty Images
1535
Sir Thomas More went on trial for treason for refusing to accept King Henry VIII as head of the Church of England. [Sort fact from fiction in our quiz of famous Englishmen.]