NOW YOU KNOW

When you write a letter to a friend and drop it in the mail, how does it get delivered? If it goes more than 200 miles, it nearly always travels by plane. That service started in 1911, when Earle Ovington made the first official airmail delivery. He flew between Garden City, N.Y., and Mineola, N.Y. By 1918, airplanes were carrying mail regularly. But customers had to pay more for faster service. Not until 1977 did the Postal Service drop the extra charge for airmail.

Source: World Book Encyclopedia

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