Before 1840, sending a letter in Britain was expensive and confusing. The price changed with the distance and the number of pages. Usually, the person who received the letter had to pay. Some people refused their letters because the cost was too high.
A teacher named Rowland Hill suggested a simpler system. The sender would pay a low, fixed price before sending a letter. In 1840, Britain introduced the Penny Black, the world’s first postage stamp. It showed a picture of Queen Victoria and cost one penny.
People put the stamp on the outside of a letter. It showed that the sender had already paid. The new system made sending letters cheaper and easier, so more people could write to family and friends.