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At this time, people began to domesticate horses. About 5300 years later, people would begin to use this animal to help them deliver goods.
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One of the most famous messengers of all time ran from Marathon to Athens to inform the people of the Greek victory over the Persians.
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In 470 BC, the motto of the U.S. Postal Service originated when Herodotus said, "Not snow, no, nor rain, nor heat, nor night keeps them from accomplishing their appointed courses with all speed."
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Wells Fargo began in 1852 and was the first premium package delivery service in the United States.
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The Pony Express was created to provide courier service from St. Joseph, Missouri, and Sacramento. It was a relay-like set-up of horses and riders. It soon ended when the telegraph made it possible to communicate electronically.
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In 1860, the Overland Telegraph Company was created, and telegraphs began to be used to deliver messages.
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The first useful car was invented by Karl Benz. This would eventually facilitate the delivery of packages by couriers.
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The first airplane ever was invented by Wilbur and Orville Wright, which would help courier services even more in the future.
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Jim Cassey set up a messenger service in Seattle that eventually became UPS.
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UPS began to focus on delivering retail packages after they got a car.
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UPS adopted the name United Parcel Service and began to expand their operations to include cities throughout the Pacific Coast. They also became the first company to use conveyor belt technology for their packages.
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For the first time, air services began to be used in order to deliver packages.
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The U.S. Postal Service was established. For the U.S., this was the first national mail delivery organization, and it created many new job opportunities.
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FedEx began their operations. They delivered 186 packages on their first night of operation.
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At this time, UPS began to offer air service to every state in the U.S. This resulted in a larger demand for pilots to operate in the courier career.
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TNT became the first service to use same day shipping. This increased the demand for drivers.
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At this time, UPS began to operate its own airline. This caused an even higher demand for pilots in the company, creating more job opportunities for couriers.
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At this time, UPS introduced Electronic Tracking for packages. Electronic services would eventually become a large part of the courier career.
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TNT in the U.K. launched their Electronic Proof of Delivery at this time. This allowed workers to collect goods within 30 minutes of the customer ordering.
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At this time, the first text message service for tracking packages was introduced by DHL. This created even more jobs within the field, as workers were needed to maintain the electronic equipment and network.
