Robert Moon (postal inspector)


Robert Aurand Moon, sometimes called "Mr. ZIP", is considered the father of the ZIP Code or Zone Improvement Plan, a mechanism to route mail in the United States.

Biography

In 1944, Moon developed the idea for the "ZIP Code" while working as a postal inspector in Philadelphia, although his system used only the first three digits of what would eventually become a five-digit and later a nine-digit system. The first Directory of Post Offices using five-digit ZIP code numbers would be published in 1963.