Owney the Postal Dog
On June 11, 1897, the US Railway Mail Service mascot, Owney the Postal Dog, died in Toledo, Ohio. He rode the rails with the mail for nearly 10 years and even took steamships to Europe and Asia, earning international fame!
Trains
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Buffalo Bill’s Wild West
On May 19, 1883, the first Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show opened in Omaha, Nebraska. The show ran under a few different names for 30 years.
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Newspaper & Periodical Stamps
On March 3, 1863, an Act of Congress granted postal agents the ability to accept newspaper bundles, which would lead to the first US Newspaper and Periodical stamps two years later.
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America Institutes First National Time Zones
On November 18, 1883, US and Canadian railroad companies jointly adopted five standard continental time zones. It was called The Day of Two Noons, with railroads resetting their clocks at exactly the same time across the country.
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Marsh’s “Railway to the Moon”
On August 29, 1869, Sylvester Marsh demonstrated the world’s first mountain-climbing cog railway, earning the recognition and funds needed to complete it.
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Niagara Railway Suspension Bridge
On March 18, 1855, the Niagara Railway Suspension Bridge officially opened. A joint project between the US and Canada, the bridge opened a new transportation route and marked the start of more than a century of friendship between our two nations.
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Incorporation of B&O Railroad
One of America’s oldest railroads, the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, was first established on February 28, 1827. The railroad was at the forefront of transportation history for decades – pioneer the use of steam engines to electric and beyond.
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The First Steam Locomotive in the U.S.
On August 8, 1829, the Stourbridge Lion became the first steam locomotive to be operated in the United States.
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Transcontinental Railroad Completed
On May 10, 1869, the Transcontinental Railroad was completed with the driving of the golden spike at Promontory Summit, Utah. Completing the Transcontinental Railroad is widely considered one of the greatest accomplishments of the 19th century!
