About this episode

This episode explores the US Post Office's attempt to deliver mail using a cruise missile in 1959.

There are many ways that we deliver mail today: car, truck, ship, plane, on foot. But one thing mail doesn't do is travel via rocket. Except for when the US Post Office tried to do so in 1959 by loading 3,000 letters onto a cruise missile. This is the story of Rocket Mail. Sources https://www.postalmuseum.org/blog/experimenting-with-rockets/ https://postalmuseum.si.edu/collections/object-spotlight/regulus-missile-mail-letter https://postalmuseum.si.edu/exhibition/fad-to-fundamental-airmail-in-america-historic-airplanes-unusual-and-experimental/missile https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/mail-delivery-rocket-never-took-180963557/ Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Missilemail.jpg History Dispatches is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com Interested in advertising on History Dispatches? Email us at advertising@airwavemedia.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

People in this episode

Hosts: Matt Breen, McKinley Breen

Topics covered

• postal history
• rocket mail
• US Postal Service
• experimental delivery
• cruise missile

Keywords

• rocket mail
• postal service
• cruise missile
• 1959
• mail delivery

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: US Post Office

Places: 1959

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