In early colonial times, letter writers sent their correspondence to friends, merchants, and Native Americans via foot or horseback. Most of this correspondence, however, was between the colonists and family members back home in England. In 1633, the firs...

Though we usually take it for granted today, the development of a system that allows nearly anyone to hand off a package and trust that it will later arrive where you want it to was an incredible advancement, and one that is vital to modern life as we kno...