Existing comment:
Spreading the News: 1808:
The official postal system of the new United States began in 1792. Over the next decade and a half, it grew faster than it has ever since. Mailing letters was expensive at first, to help subsidize the cost of mailing newspapers -- the crucial long-distance information system of the times.
In 1800, postal officials began using selected postal offices as distribution centers, where mail for large areas was processed and sent on. This "hub-and-spoke" system is in use again today. |