Who invented the mailbox

Menu Skip to content Welcome Disclaimer. Philip B. Downing: Mailbox Inventor. Share this: Tweet. Like this: Like Loading BlackMail4u Black Mail posts historical facts, quotes, and events to inspire, educate, and uplift! Author archive Author website. This Is Not True. Leave a Reply Cancel reply Enter your comment here Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:.

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Updated February 28, Infoplease Staff. The Answer: First, some background. See also:. Trending Here are the facts and trivia that people are buzzing about. Record Highest Temperatures by State. The Megacities of Africa. Downing, an abolitionist and business owner who was the manager of the U. At the time, to mail a letter one needs to go all the way to the post office but thanks to Downing, such longs trips are now a thing of the past.

His design looked just like the mailboxes that are now everywhere, a tall metal box with a secured, hinged door to drop letters. His idea for the hinged opening prevented rain or snow from entering the box and damaging the mail. Meanwhile, Downing had earlier patented an electrical switch for railroads which also allowed railroad workers to supply or shut off power to trains at appropriate times.

On June 17, , the U. Based on his design, innovators would later create electrical switches such as light switches now used at homes. Many years later, on January 26, , Downing would receive another patent U.

Patent number , , for an envelope moistener, which utilized a roller and a small attached water tank to quickly moisten envelopes.