Where does the expression Express Mail, which is know all over the world actually come from? Was this introduced with the Pony Express, or are the origins much older than that?
The word “express” is most frequently used with the idea of something done with a definite purpose. The term “express train,” now meaning one that travels at a high speed over long distances with few intermediate stoppages, was, in the early days of railways, applied to what is now usually called a ” special,” i.e. a train not running according to the ordinary time-tables of the railway company, but for some specific purpose, or engaged by a private person. About 1845 this term became used for a train running to a particular place without stopping. Similarly in the British postal service, express delivery is a special and immediate delivery of a letter or parcel by an express messenger at a particular increased rate. The system was adopted in 1891. In the United States express companies for the rapid transmission of parcels and luggage and light goods generally perform the function of the post office or the railways in the United Kingdom and the continent of Europe. Not only do they de
