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Improving refrigerator railcars
Early wooden refrigerator railcars required insulation to help protect their contents from extremes in temperature. “Hairfelt” was compressed cattle hair, placed into the floor and walls of a railcar. It was inexpensive (a byproduct of the slaughtering process), yet quite flawed. Hairfelt would last three to four years, but it would decay, which rotted the car’s wooden partitions and often tainted the cargo...
Orville and Wilbur Wright flew their airplane for the first time on December 17, 1903. Since then air travel has revolutionized the world in countless ways. When airplanes first took to the skies, the mere idea of an airplane (or aeroplanes as they were known then) was astounding. Man had wanted to fly for thousands of years, but now it was a reality. But less than 118 years ago, the concept seemed unbelievable. Now, airplanes enable quick travel for millions daily around the globe; and...
Express services began in the 1830s
Express service has been defined as the prompt and safe movement of parcels, money and goods at rates higher than standard freight rates.
Many historians credit William Harnden for starting the business category. In 1839 he began carrying express goods on regular trips between New York and Boston (even though a direct New York to Boston rail line was not yet in service). As business grew he formed Harnden’s First Express and even initiated shipments by...