UPS and FedEx have long been some of the biggest names in America’s expansive and ongoing parcel wars, having been founded in 1907 and 1971, respectively. However, they’ve lost some ground in recent years as the industry of getting-stuff-where-it-needs-to-go has become increasingly competitive, thanks primarily to online giant Amazon. That’s forced them to turn to discounts and deals for big and smaller shippers alike. – Sherwood News

In the summer of 1861, as Pony Express riders rode from station to station, they occasionally passed workers building the nation’s longest telegraph line. The telegraph had been around since the 1840s, but it had been used mainly to connect regional cities. The Overland telegraph represented a real changing point in American history by creating the first instantaneous communication between the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. It also meant that there was no longer a need for the Pony Express. When the new transcontinental telegraph wire went live in October 1861, the Pony Express horses stopped running.

Despite operating for less than 19 months, future generations remember the legendary Pony Express as a daring attempt to rethink how Americans communicated. – Wells Fargo