The United States Postal Service announced it would discontinue Saturday first class mail delivery on August 1st in order to save $2 billion dollars per year. This got me to wondering; Saturday delivery began in 1863, how different was the world we lived in then compared to 2013?

In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, the first drawing of the modern Santa was published in Harper’s Weekly, the first claim under the Homestead Act was made, the fire extinguisher was patented, Lincoln signed the National Banking Act, the Civil War was in full swing, West Virginia was entered as the 35th state; all in the first six months of the year.

In the last six-months of 1863 Lincoln proclaimed the last Thursday in November to be a national day of Thanksgiving, Lincoln delivered is famous Gettysburg address on November 19th 1863 and linoleum was patented in the UK. Henry Ford was born in 1863, while Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson died along with Sam Houston.

So, I guess the United States Postal Service shutting down something that has been going on since these days, does make a little sense. After all, the Pony Express ended its 18-month run in 1861. Times do change!

By: Cathi Coppinger