Είδα ένα διασκεδαστικό βίντεο του κωμικού πίστας Gary Gulman με θέμα το πώς οι πολιτείες των ΗΠΑ απέκτησαν τις όσο και τόσο παλιές διγράμματες συντομογραφίες που χρησιμοποιούνται όχι μόνο στην αλληλογραφία αλλά σχεδόν παντού πια. Και αφού διασκέδασα με το βίντεο, πήγα και ρώτησα το Gemini να μου πει την ιστορική εκδοχή. Αλλά πρώτα το βίντεο:
Το σχόλιο του Gemini:
While Gary Gulman’s bit about a ragtag team of "abbreviators" and a fictional documentary is a comedy masterpiece, the real history is surprisingly bureaucratic and driven by the limitations of 1960s technology.
The "true story" of our two-letter abbreviations boils down to a single year and a very specific character count.
At the time, the addressing equipment used by large businesses and the Post Office had a strict technical limit: they could only fit 23 characters (including spaces) on the bottom line of an address. By forcing every state into a two-character code, the Post Office ensured there was always enough room for the city name, a space, the state code, and the five-digit ZIP code.
Το σχόλιο του Gemini:
While Gary Gulman’s bit about a ragtag team of "abbreviators" and a fictional documentary is a comedy masterpiece, the real history is surprisingly bureaucratic and driven by the limitations of 1960s technology.
The "true story" of our two-letter abbreviations boils down to a single year and a very specific character count.
1. The 23-Character Rule (1963)
Before 1963, most people used "traditional" abbreviations like Penna. (Pennsylvania), Calif. (California), or Ill. (Illinois). The shift to the two-letter system happened on July 1, 1963, specifically to make room for the newly introduced ZIP Code.At the time, the addressing equipment used by large businesses and the Post Office had a strict technical limit: they could only fit 23 characters (including spaces) on the bottom line of an address. By forcing every state into a two-character code, the Post Office ensured there was always enough room for the city name, a space, the state code, and the five-digit ZIP code.
2. The Battle of the "M" States
One of the most realistic parts of Gulman’s bit is the confusion over states starting with the same letter (like the eight states starting with "M"). While there wasn't a "committee room" drama, there was a logical hierarchy used to assign these:- Population Priority: More populous states generally received the "first-and-second letter" abbreviation because they handled more mail. This is why MA went to Massachusetts (leaving Maine with ME) and MI went to Michigan (leaving Mississippi with MS and Minnesota with MN).
- Logical Patterns: Most codes followed one of three rules:
- First and second letters: AL (Alabama), WI (Wisconsin).
- First and last letters: GA (Georgia), CT (Connecticut).
- First and a prominent middle letter: AZ (Arizona), MN (Minnesota).