Mail via Missile: USPS expedited
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- Опубликовано: 17 мар 2022
- During the cold war the US postal service had a novel idea, one that they thought would pair space age technology with even faster mail delivery.
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Script by JCG
#history #thehistoryguy #Mail
When I was a kid, ordering my Sea Monkey family for $1 from the back of a comic book my took 6 weeks to arrive. Only to find that Sea Monkeys looked suspiciously like brine shrimp. I could only wonder at how Wile E. Coyote got his packages instantly from ACME corporation. Rocket Mail delivery sounds like something that would have been conceived of in the Road Runner cartoon!
Indeed - and inevitably the rocket delivering the ACME gadget would smash straight into Wyle E. Coyote.
I wondered what THG would have for us today. He delivered once again.
THG will, one day, be history. And it will deserve to be remembered.
🙄🙃😉
1:35 "oddly an anonymous letter in the next issue suggested that a better invention would be one that slowed the mail down since most news is bad news." Unusually prescient comment now in this age of social media.
This kind of reminds me of the drone mail craze from a couple years ago. People were claiming all your Amazon packages would be delivered via quad-copter, and it was literally just around the corner. Problem is electric powered drones, even the big ones, might only get 5-15min flight time depending on the payload. And they're not particularly fast. So say optimistically they can do 50km/h. Best case they can go about 12km per charge. But that's round trip. And they can only carry one package to one address at a time. Where as your typical mail van can carry substantially more cargo at similar speeds to multiple addresses, and go all day without having to refuel. By the time you bought enough drones and batteries to carry the same payload as the van, you'd have bought and paid for the van probably twice over with enough left over for gas and the driver's wages. That's not even mentioning how annoying it would be having city skies filled with those things buzzing about. Like rocket mail, it's another one of those ideas that seems good on paper, but horribly inefficient in practice.
Lots of publicity stunts and media hype, but there are some use cases. For example the Zipline company delivers to remote hospitals in Rowanda. There's another with a small hospital or community isolated by a mud flat, can't remember where.
Good comparison.
ha ha - in ten years - this will happen - you dismiss it now - in ten years - it will be commonplace - and you and I will still be alive - and we will wonder how people got by without it
The Amazon thing was always stupid. Lots of large drones buzzing around the airspace sharing the sly with airplanes and helicopters is a major hazard, and of course it's also a huge privacy breech to have drones equipped with cameras and other sensors buzzing around your house, even if it's the neighbor's delivery. (Not that Amazon gives a damn about privacy)
Oh yeah I have an idiot nephew and said I'm looking forward to this
I never heard of this "rocket mail" before... what a novel concept.
Fascinating. This is one of the best channels on RUclips. Thanks THG.
That initial graphic IS AWESOMENESS EMBODIED.
I happy to receive this video the old-fashioned way - electronically.
I hit the Like button for the beginning THG animation alone!! 😂🤣
Back in the Saddle Again
Very interesting. It reminded me of a little know book "The Mummy - A Tale of the Twenty-Second Century" by Jane Webb. It was first published in 1827 and is the first published work describing the resurection of a Egyptian mummy. Of interest here is this quote about the 22nd Century mail delivery:
"In those days, the ancient method of conveying the post having been found much too slow for so enlightened a people, an ingenious scheme had been devised, by which the letters were put into balls and discharged by steam-cannon, from place to place;"
Thankful for the time change so I can enjoy before bed. Good night from Bangkok
Love this channel!!! A very creative opening…
I'm shocked that there's a whole history to Rocket Mail, considering that it sounds like such a Space Age idea.
I love it, though. It's always great to hear about weird historical things you don't consider.
A very American idea to solve a problem, fire a rocket at it.
We deliver mail at the speed of light now and it still takes like six seconds to get here.
Rudyard Kipling'’s “with the night mail”; the most jarring thing to read the soldier’s author doing science fiction! Rockets, dirigibles... most peculiar.
A great example of how predicting the future can be wrong.
Dirigibles were hardly science fiction in 1909 - they were regular scheduled public transport (at least in Germany).
Luftschiffbau Zeppelin were founded in 1908 (and are still operating with over 7,000 employees).
@@allangibson2408 in the context of the story however, trans continental dirigible service for passengers and freight and as private pleasure yachts was definitely science-fiction.
@@HM2SGT Zeppelin run Delag airline went international in 1910.
WW1 through a spanner in their plans (if he had talked about WW1 Tanks that would have been a wild SciFi prediction).
@The History Guy -- You forgot one , the REACTION RESEARCH SOCIETY , INC. of Glendale , California -- an active Amateur Rocket Society . We used to regularly have Rocket Mail Flights as a means of generating revenue for the Organization . When I was an Administrative Member we had our Eighth Rocket Mail Flight on October 5 , 1968 celebrating our 25th ANNIVERSARY . We had a simultaneous TWIN LAUNCH with specially prepared Envelopes and Post Cards , which we fired from Yuma , Arizona - across the Colorado River - to Winterhaven , California , and then Postmarked in Mojave , California . --- As I type this , I am holding on my lap a display with an Envelope from each of the Rockets along with one of the Post Cards , and my Administrative Member ID Cards for 1968 - 1969 - and 1970 . ---- < Doc > .
Now, THAT is philately in action!!! Good old Glendale.
Soon upcoming is the Buffalo Balloon Sesquicentennial 1877 delivery . . . of THREE covers!
The 5 cent pretty little thing was granted 'semi-postal' status by Scott, copies of which will set one back several of thousands, the covers, well one can just imagine at at least ten times that?
Nothing quite like delivery of the mails by air-post, whatever the mode!
Favorite channel in the morning. Thank you for the content.
Uplifting episode!
I really like Elton John's song about "Rocket Mail".
I wonder if they asked "would you like to mail this inside something fragile, liquid, and flammable"?
Rocket 🚀 Mail. Is like Lady Finger Letters!
Note on Congreve Rockets. Developed at the Royal Arsenal Woolwich, The rockets attempted to burn the town down on several occasions (Albeit non intentional). As a result manufacturing moved to a less populated area.
I mis-read the title, and now I have Elton John's "Rocket Man" stuck in my head. LOL
Rocket Mail! Burning up his bills and mail...alone!
"By the rocket's red glare"... I got a postcard.
Congreve's rockets were the basis for "the rockets' red glare" in the National Anthem.
Thanks 👍
Fascinating. Thanks!
Incredible, that this was thought to be the future of mail delivery.
Funny to think how, in another couple hundred years, how archaic our current systems will appear.
Instantaneous is too quick. Whoever sent the anonymous letter mentioned in the beginning made a pretty good point, so maybe you are correct!
One of the Scarp Harris rocket mail letters sold recently for £125.
You always make me smile!
I laughed out loud when I heard about the anonymous letter touting the benefit of slowing the mail down.
Perhaps, in our brave new world, this idea requires reconsideration!
"Snail-mail at rocket speed." lol, makes me think of the animated movie, "Turbo," which featured a snail that could race at NASCAR speeds (if not faster.)
Terrific episode. Love this channel.
I had only heard about the REGULUS flight up until now. The rest of it, I had no idea. Over the past few years, you have filled in many of the gaps in my public school education, and not just in the study of history. I thank you for this. The History Guy is a rare and wonderful person.
Same. I'd heard of that, and a video on it wouldn't really tell me much new. But this told of so many other things I've never heard about. That's what The History Guy does really well - he tells a story of some snippet of history that is perhaps amusing but not hugely noteworthy, but in the process tells a lot more about the history and situation leading up to that, with a lot of interesting and important knowledge along the way. His videos aren't just the story of some little thing in history, but a detailed history lesson involving many aspects of history in the time and place (and often pirates) with the topic or event in question as a center point tying it all together.
So ...no more mailmen, but Rock-'n'-roll men !
This video brought to you by Rocket Mortgage.
My dad was a crewman aboard the USS Barbero. You hit the nail on the head, the whole rocket mail bit was a message to the USSR that we had sub launched, nuclear capable, missiles. The Barbero and her sister sub the Tunny conducted numerous patrols off the coast of Russia, the first nuclear deterrence patrols, relatively unknown even today among the submariner community, because everyone assumes we didn't have nuclear missiles on subs until we had nuclear submarines.
What a great presentation Biscuit tin mail like a message in a bottle I never knew that😳 I love your collection of hats too🤗👍💕
@THG I'm so glad that your subs have Rocketed above a Million. Congrats.
I have some genuine Space Mail transported on the space shuttle Challenger. This was on the STS-8 mission which celebrated NASA's 25th Anniversary in 1983. The stamp is postmarked August 14,1983 at Kennedy Space Center then August 30,1983 posted launched aboard Challenger, with final postmarked Return to Earth, September 5, 1983. A narrative is included about the crew, 25th Anniversary, and Challenger. The $9,35 USPS Priority Mail stamp hosts a Bald Eagle and a full moon on the dark blue sky. Cachet also shows the official crew patch for the mission. It was sent to the addresses on the pain brown delivery Mail envelope which warns $200 fine for unauthorized use. It's my favorite item i own delivered from out of this world.
I have one of these too. A gift from my sister back then, when we both had just began working for the Postal Service.
Great. Yet another way to get those Bed, Bath, and Beyond sales notices 🤣
So *that's* what North Korea is up to with all these missile tests!
Meanwhile in an alternate universe. "💥" Honey the missile mails here. Ok I'll get it in a bit.
I love your episodes!!! Thank you.
🎵Rocket Mail,
burnin' black powder to the next, postal zone🎵
In 1959 my Dad sent my Mom a little rocket mail one night when they were at the Submarine races.
Actually, this all started When Elton John was asked how he wanted his mail delivered.
He said 'Rocket, man' and the rest is history
In a 1950s Saturday morning movie theater cartoon festival, we were also shown a film about 20 minutes long of early flight attempts that failed. One was a rocket mail attempt. I haven't seen the film since. It was B/W.
Intriguing as always. I had read a book by the Science Fiction author, Robert A. Heinlein, from the 60s, that had this notion as an aside. I had once taken High School Physics and ran the suggestion through my slide rule (my reading of this book and the subsequent calculation was long before cheaply available electronic calculators) and then wondered if the US mails might be squished beyond practical use?
As I remember, Robert Heinlein used rocket mail in his story “ The Man Who Sold the Moon”.
Hey History Guy! Another great episode! Have you done any research for an episode on Charles Dawes yet? 😉
When I was a kid I use to be into rocketry. My father's fellow Airforce and military soldiers use to call me Wernher Von Brown. Because of my lovely tan. Especially when something exploded in my face. I was able to get 1,500- 1,800 continually . I remember once😜 (far more times than once) It landed on the roof and the older brother told the kids to go to sleep 💤 because Santa 🎅 just landed on the roof!
That's one hell of a hobby!
You might enjoying watching the old anime Planetes. One of the main character's little brother is very much like you were. If nothing else, you might enjoy watching the opening credits of Planetes (not the special start of the first episode, but the regular intro credits that happen after the first episode), which different people have uploaded to RUclips.
@@Call-me-Al I will definitely check it out this weekend. Good looking out Youngling! Thank you 😊
@@jimmysgameclips Anything that could inspire the Christmas spirit and make kids take a nap in the middle of the day during summer break.
When I was a student at Georgia Tech in the 1970s, my advisor and Human Factors professor was Dr. Randall Chambers. He was the former head of NASA's human factors research during the formative years of the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo programs. With a little prodding he was always willing to regale us with anecdotes about the physical and psychological challenges faced by the chimpanzees and astronauts that his team was charged with testing. One such challenge was the ability of the human body to survive launch and landing when high G forces and sudden shock were involved. This led to the development of memory foam seats for NASA's cramped capsules. Professor Chambers had an original sample of one such seat, which was my first experience with the material. His research also resulted, perhaps indirectly, in an Army request to study the feasibility of launching shock troops into suborbital flight by rockets so they could land anywhere in the word within minutes. Dr. Chambers did not elaborate any further other than to say the request came to naught, but I would be interested in learning more about this intriguing idea which dates back at least to ancient China. With the advent of modern rockets that don't require high g forces and can land like a helicopter, perhaps the concept has some merit. The troops can always bring the mail bag with them. ;-)
Suborbital cargo tech plus "Sneakernet" could maybe make this a thing again, I suppose.
When it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight.
I love the aesthetics of 1950s U.S. military hardware.
That intro was the best so far!
I knew nothing about this. Great video! :-)
Thx for your work👍🇺🇸👍
The concept of artillery mail seems totally reasonable for fixed positions with the lack of electronic communication or limited travel ability. Similar but more detailed than the more commonly known smoke signal
I would definitely pay a high price to get a letter that was sent by rocket, but not on a regular basis.
History is awesome thank you for this content
This is really fascinating.
Fantastic!
Technically the Regulas was a jet powered missile (though it did have a rocket boost).
I’m reminded of Antoine Saint Exupery’s Southern Mail.
I loved the intro graphics for this episode. Fun
I was around during the entire Cold War and I never heard of rocket mail. We knew of airmail however, which was fast, although expensive.
I wonder if pirates would have benefitted somehow from rocket mail.
After all, all good stories involve pirates.
I know that pirates send a lot of cannon messages... idk about mail though
@@nline2blast722 As long as the message comes through loud and clear, does it matter? 🤷🏻♀️
The British also used launched Congreve rockets during the battle of Ft. McHenry in 1814. This led to the the words "... and the rocket's red glare, ..." in "The Star-Spangled Banner".
Inconceivable!
Love your creative intros!
Never disappoints.
Considering today's average delivery time, I'd settle for the performance of the 1950s. Average delivery time within the same zip code is now pushing 6 days, twice that of 60 years ago.
Love from DeKalb Mississippi USA 🇺🇸
thanks
Rocket mail was a good idea 💡 at the time. 😀👍
Sadly, my enjoyment of this video is spoiled by the fact that, in the back of my mind, I can hear William Shatner saying, "Rock...it...mail"
That's very interesting. I had not heard about the "rocket" mail attempts two hundred years ago.
It seems like the need for this is largely obviated by the existence - and widespread use - of air mail. We've been getting letters from New York to LA in hours for several decades now. Airplanes are far more energy-efficient than rockets.
Very true, the limiting factor on how long mail takes to get somewhere isn't the speed at which it can actually travel. The longest leg of an item's journey only takes a few hours, but usually there's at least a day, probably usually two, on either end of being picked up, sorted at the local post office, transferred to the main facility, sorted again, loaded onto a plane, unloaded, transferred to next main facility, transferred to local post office, then delivered. So time in the air is only a small fraction of the time, and a rocket that could reduce that time - even if to zero somehow - wouldn't make a notable difference.
@@quillmaurer6563 Right. Indeed, it would be unlikely to make any difference at all, as it wouldn't likely change the delivery route timing.
The internet is far more efficient.
@@Robert_Keel Agreed. But some people unfortunately still insist on pieces of paper. And the Internet also isn't very good at delivering packages.
It would be neat if all the problems could be over come. It is aggravating that it takes 4 to 9 days for a letter sent from Virginia or Florida to get to South Carolina
Rocket mail wouldn't make a notable difference on that journey time. Most mail to my understanding is air mail, so it only spends a few hours at most in that phase of the journey. Even by truck, the journey you describe would be probably a day at most. Most of the time is being sorted and transferred around at either end of the journey, not actually in motion by any means. Replacing the airplane or long-distance truck with a faster rocket wouldn't make much difference as that portion of the journey is only a small fraction of the time as it is.
"And I think I'm gonna need a lot more stamps
The payload is small it gets so cramped,
I can't send anything fragile at all,
Oh, no no no...'cause it's ROCKET MAIL!" 🤣
Do I understand that your son does these introductory graphics? They are great. Thank you
Fun Fact: My dad's ship USS Yorktown CV5 used Tonga as a hiding place in the early days just before Coral Sea and Midway.
Okay. So what.? Pretty esoteric.
Looking forward to your next post.
Not me hearing the notification ding at 2:03 and thinking I missed something during my lunch break to watch this
The "Rockets red glare” mentioned in the Star Spangled Banner, were Congreve Rockets fired by the British against Fort McHenry in Baltimore Maryland.
I have a couple of cancelled envelopes from the first American rocket mail flight, which IIRC went from somewhere in West Milford Township, NJ to someplace over the border in New York State. I think it was around 1938. I don't have the envelopes in front of me at the moment, so I don't remember the details.
rocket mail is a great elton john song.
best intro yet.
I Love History!
I enjoyed that intro!
I don't need the mail to go at rocket speed, but it would be nice if the post office could actually get something to the next town within a week.
Love the intro.
Even rocket mail can't compete w/ email that travels at the speed of light (OK, electricity).
You have a second MovaGlobe on the shelf!!! Still love mine after they first sponsored your episode. =))
That's funny you said snail mail and then had your introductory sound of the old video games that are considered now snail mail ish
Have you done marching bands yet? Particularly, how did they become high school and college institutions?
* looks up * oh no a missile! Is it an attack? Nope just my water bill
Q: What has 4 legs and 1 arm?
A: Mrs. Smith’s Rottweiler. He also has a handful of mail.
( old mailman joke)