# Canonical recap data for Penny Black Postage Stamp Issued (1840)
# Source: https://recap.at/1840/penny-black-stamp
# Format: YAML 1.2 (UTF-8). Generated at request time.
slug: penny-black-stamp
canonicalUrl: "https://recap.at/1840/penny-black-stamp"
title: Penny Black Postage Stamp Issued
subtitle: Britain's first adhesive postage stamp revolutionized mail systems globally and became the cornerstone of modern postal infrastructure.
recapType: global_event
eventStatus: concluded
startDate: 1840-01-01
datePrecision: year
year: 1840
decade: 1840
country:
name: United Kingdom
slug: united-kingdom
summaryShort: The Penny Black was the world's first adhesive postage stamp used in a public postal system. It was first issued in the United Kingdom on 1 May 1840 but was not valid for use until 6 May. The stamp features a profile of 21-year-old Queen Victoria.
summaryLong: The Penny Black was the world's first adhesive postage stamp used in a public postal system. It was first issued in the United Kingdom on 1 May 1840 but was not valid for use until 6 May. The stamp features a profile of 21-year-old Queen Victoria.
heroImageUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/36/Penny_black.jpg/1280px-Penny_black.jpg"
heroImageCredit: Wikipedia · "Penny Black"
importance: 83
sourceConfidence: 75
keyFacts: []
timeline: []
sources:
- url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penny_Black"
  title: Penny Black
  provider: Wikipedia
related: []
categories:
- tech-launch
metaDescription: The Penny Black was the world's first adhesive postage stamp used in a public postal system. It was first issued in the United Kingdom on 1 May 1840 but was not
wikidataQid: Q107701
archiveSnapshots:
- url: "https://web.archive.org/web/20260625125111/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penny_Black"
  capturedAt: 2026-06-25
  label: Penny Black
  originalUrl: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penny_Black"
