On this day 185 years ago, on January 10, 1840 (December 6, 1839 lunar calendar), Roland Hill succeeded in reforming the postal service. Before the reform of the British postal service, there were many drawbacks. At that time, the postage collection method was based on the number of sheets of letter paper and the distance of delivery. The postage standard was very high. Except for a small number of stamps stamped "postage paid" on the mail cover to collect the sender, the recipient was charged after the mail was delivered. At the post office, the staff was cumbersome and inefficient in the operation of piece-by-piece billing. And the British Parliament also passed the privilege of free mail for members. In 1837, Roland Hill proposed to reform the postal system: abolish the privileges of MPs and greatly reduce postage; absorb Charles Babbage's proposal that "postage should be the same regardless of the distance", and implement the "one penny postage method". Postage is borne by the sender; the post office prints a small sticker with a face value (ie, a stamp), which the sender can pre-order at any post office, and affix it to the envelope when sending the letter as proof of postage. His reform postal measures were discussed and approved by Parliament in August 1839. On January 10, 1840, Queen Victoria publicly announced that this measure would be implemented immediately. She herself would pay for the same mail as the people, and the free privilege of MPs was abolished. Due to Roland Hill's significant contributions to the reform and development of the postal industry throughout his life, he is known as the "Father of Modern Postal Service". In 1850, he was appointed as the British Postmaster General, and in 1860 he was knighted. In 1879, he was awarded the title of Honorary Citizen of the City of London. He died in London at the age of 85. Roland Hill succeeded in reforming the postal service.