People began collecting postage stamps almost immediately after the first example, the Penny Black, was issued in 1840. Today it is one of the world’s most widely enjoyed hobbies, and it is estimated that there are 20 million stamp collectors just in the United States. While many people collect stamps as nothing more than a more »
The years between the late 19th Century and early 20th Century were an era of rapid technological advances, and communications were in on the revolution with the invention of the telephone and the radio. But for the Postal Service, it was more a time of extending the network and technologies that were already in place. more »
In the spring of 1860, three entrepreneurs started a short-lived messenger service whose legacy would live on beyond the next century. That service was the Pony Express. Pony Express’ rates were high, ringing in at $5 for a half-ounce letter, but so were the dangers faced by its riders. Stations were spaced about 10 miles more »