They never have failed through the years through driving rain, sleet, or snow but now theyve got a problem and what are they to do . The answer, my friend, is very simple it is up to you to see them through [vocalizing] do, do, do, do, do, do well, back in the day of the 13 colonies fighting for freedom and hard to defend it mailing a letter , wasnt much trouble there werent too many places to send it but now its a different story theyve got more mail than ever before its stuck in bags, packed on shelves theres hardly room for anything more there has been a mail explosion theyve got a terrible load youve got to help them right away before the u. S. Post office explodes. [harmonizing] [monkey chittering] it wasnt so long ago that communication was a simple act, but the range of the human voice voice is limited. So mans ingenuity founded ways to bridge distance. He invented writing and typographical errors. To carry messages across vast distances, man developed roads, highways, turnpikes. [car horns honking] bunions, calluses, and a rare assortment of aching limbs. Yes, up until recently, communication remained a simple act. What matter if it took two weeks to go from new york to atlanta, over a month to st. Louis . If a letter from uncle ben arrived a month or so later, nobody fussed. The times were tuned to wagon wheels, footpaths, and the puff of wind against sail. Distance was measured by weeks and months. Everything was a far time off. Then, slowly, the country got up to steam. Commerce shook off its sea anchor and headed westward. There was a new idea speed. Everything was coming up to date in the kansas citys and the portlands. Communication became the most vital aspect of our economy. The post office became the prime artery of commerce. For a time, the department was perfectly able to keep up. If the mail piled high, put on another piece of equipment. If that did not do the trick, add a few more clerks or a flock of carriers. But by world war i, the post office carried more advertising in a week than all the newspapers and magazines could carry in a year. It was the countrys bill collector, check deliverer, errand runner. The volume of mail delivered leaped to 20 billion. By 1948, it doubled to 40 billion. This year, it doubled again, nearly 80 billion pieces of mail. Literally, the post office stands to be swamped, overwhelmed, drowned in a sea of mail. Where do we go from here . Patchwork, piecemeal Solutions Based on obsolete transportation routes will not work. The answer has to be as new as the challenge is new. And the post office has the only logical answer. Zip code. Mail distribution via the Straight Line, always the shortest distance between two distant points. Zip code. Five trailblazing numbers like this one launch every piece of mail with spaceage speed and precision. Now thats easy to say and it sounds just fine but lets put this question right on the line what is a zip code, a postal clerk . What does it do how does it work if you lend an ear well be glad to explain how a zip code eases your postal pain singing] first which part of the nation your letter will find its destination. Since the country is divided into 10 big sections each with a number to establish direction before your letter has even departed weve already got it started [vocalizing] the next two digits go handinhand to a Major Post Office over land each big section has town after sinceeach big section has town after town we need these numbers to really narrow things down we have got the section weve got the city with two more numbers, were sitting pretty these last two digits are really specific they are your local post Office Number terrific [vocalizing] what a system as you can plainly see, just five little numbers quick as can be if you have a question or you have a doubt if youre still not sure what the whole thing is about new just always remember, this code defined means city to city in one Straight Line dont take it from us dont take it from me try it yourself youll see it is a better deal than you will get from any other postal department. Yes, zip code is a better deal. Moving the mail straight as an arrow and on valentines day, it could be cupids arrow. A time before zip code, a boy, a girl, a valentine. There was a boy in new york city who loved a girl by frisco bay he sent her cards , to say he loved her to say he cared that special way his letter zigged and zagged along the way his lonely letter , lagged day after day he waited long and lonely hours just to hear what he would say but when his words were finally spoken all her love had gone astray on a sad, sad valentines day and now another valentine, carefully zip coded here and here. A different girl. Still far away, by frisco bay, but the same boy, a little older and a little wiser. His letter flew across the country in just one day it reached her hand in just one day she knew the answer the happiest girl in all the land [humming] and those zip code numbers will help clear up two of the major problems that give the post Office Department fits. The dead letter office. Have you ever asked yourself this question why do postal clerks get indigestion . There are many reasons i wont bother to list them it is all the stamped glue we take in our system i guess thats as logical as a man could get but thats not the reason for the stomach upset its from trying to read the american hand illegibly written throughout the land this letter will prove exactly what we said the name of the city simply cant be read oakdale oakfield oakhurst oak park oakwood Tuscaloosa Tuscaloosa tuscaloosa . Now you see what we mean if the writings no good this letter might as well be carved out of wood and if you think it is hard under her eyes, tried this problem on for size. I got a letter here for somebody from springfield. Springfield . Im from springfield, massachusetts, and im tell you pal theres no place i would rather be. Im from springfield, pennsylvania this letter is apparently for me im in springfield, arizona and i want you to know ive been waiting for this letter since a weekend ago what good does it do to send a letter my way when im , in springfield, usa. I have looked into this problem, and im telling you, boys you are angry and you have a right to be there are very many cities with identical names springfield is not the least of these there are 24 springfields causing postal delays and they , and they are all abbreviated with a two letter name what good does it do to send a letter my way when im in springfield, usa . Springfield, il and a springfield, in theres a springfield, ms and a springfield, pa and a springfield, pa there are 11 more do you really feel like keeping score what good does it do to send a letter my way when im in springfield springfield, usa zip code is bringing the mail explosion under control. It is as uptodate as the computer, as timely as the fantastic zip code scanner, electronically reading zip codes and sorting the mail. It is a success. But to make zip code work, you must use it. Remember, only you can put zip in your postal system. Ladies and gentlemen, the postmaster general of the united states, the honorable lawrence f. Obrien. One way we can measure the success of our zip code program is by the number of Foreign Countries who send us their postal specialists to study our system and determine how much of it is adoptable for their own purposes. They come because of the simple fact zip code works. It works for the post office. It works for all who use the mail, small business, bulk mailers, or private citizens. To get any zip code numbers you may need, including your own, just call your local post office. Keep it all in your head theres no better way use zip code every day you know you got to have zip code on the envelope a zip code a zip code morning, noon, and night and everything will be all right you get Faster Service at a lower cost fewer mistakes and time never lost you know you got to have a zip code on the envelope a zip code and everything will be all right well, meet a fellow called mr. Zip what he can do for you will really make you flip so if you have any letters, parcel demands, were going to leave you in his hands youve got to have a zip code a zip code and everything will be all right a zip code and everything will be all right and now, my friend well say so long we hope your singing our zip code song we told you everything we know its up to you to make zip code go you know, you gotta have a zip code on the envelope a zip code a zip code morning, noon, and night everything will be all right you know, you gotta have a zip code on the envelope a zip code every morning, noon, and night and everything will be all everything will be all everything will be all right [crowd moving] got cast off. You are watching American History tv, covering history cspan south with event coverage, eyewitness accounts, archival films, lectures and College Classrooms and visits to museums and historic places. All weekend, every weekend, on cspan3. [captions Copyright National cable satellite corp. 2020] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. Visit ncicap. Org] you are watching American History tv. All weekend, every week and come on cspan3. To join the conversation, like us on facebook at cspan history. Every saturday it it a clock p. M. Eastern on American History tv, on cspan3, go inside a Different College classroom and hear about topics ranging from the american revolution, civil rights, and u. S. President s, to 9 11. With most College Campuses closed dated the coronavirus, watch professors teach in a virtual setting to engage with students. Gorbachev did most of the work to change the soviet union. But reagan met him halfway. Reagan encouraged him, reagan supported him. Press, madisonhe originally called it freedom of the use of the press and it is indeed freedom to print and publish things. It is not of freedom what we now refer to institutionally as the press. Lectures and history every saturday. Lectures in history is also available as a podcast. Andext, Lawrence Kudlow brenda major vic Brian Domitrovic speak about their book, j. F. K. And the reagan revolution. This event was held at the corner bookstore in september of 2016 in the midst of the president ial campaign. In 55 minutes, two bestselling authors discuss how they use Historical Research in their work. The talk about widespread opiate addiction among civil war veterans. Good evening, everyone. My name is lena, and my husband and i are owners of the corner bookstore. I want to know if you can hear me. We have a new sound system. Does it work well . Great, wonderful. Well, we are obviously thrilled, honored, to be celebrating the j. F. K. Anyn of reagan revolution. We have the two coauthors with us. A man who needs no introduction,