Unless you are extremely economical with your words, carrier pigeons aren't much good for sending post. And although letters had been sent by hot air balloon as early as 1785, you will, of course, find yourself at the mercy of the winds. It was only with the invention of the aeroplane that a viable way of sending airmail began to emerge.
The United Provinces Industrial and Agricultural Exhibition, held in Allahabad, India, in 1911, provided just the opportunity to showcase the aeroplane's capabilities. The founder of the Royal Aero Club, Walter George Windham, sent to England for eight aircraft to be shipped to Bombay. As for the pilot, that role would be filled by 23-year-old Frenchman Henri Pequet.
Sending a letter or postcard par avion would cost you six annas (an anna was one 16th of a rupee in pre-decimalised Indian currency). The money raised would be donated to the Oxford and Cambridge Boys' Hostel. For an extra rupee, you could get a signed photo of the flying postman himself. It wasn't long before Pequet's postbag began to fill up: 6,500 pieces of post were collected for the maiden flight, which weighed at least 90kg – a considerable weight for what was little more than a motorised kite.
Subscribe to MoneyWeek
Subscribe to MoneyWeek today and get your first six magazine issues absolutely FREE
Sign up to Money Morning
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
On 18 February, Pequet's Humber Sommer biplane shuddered across Allahabad's polo field and hauled itself into the air. Pequet flew for around 15 minutes, crossing the River Jumna to land six miles away in Naini Junction. There, the post was unloaded and sent on its way over land and sea. Among the lucky recipients to wake up to a letter bearing the postmark "First aerial post U.P. exhibition Allahabad" was King George V.
As for the boys of the Oxford and Cambridge Hostel, they received 2,500 rupees from the flight, which was, as Robert Bluffield notes in Over Empires and Oceans, "a princely sum considering that one gramme of gold in 1911 had an estimated value of less than two rupees".
-
Ofgem proposes new energy tariffs with low or no standing changesStanding charges have invited public backlash as households battle high energy bills
-
Google shares bounce on Gemini 2.0 launchGoogle has launched the latest version of its Gemini AI platform, and markets have responded positively. Is it time to buy Google shares?
-
31 August 1957: the Federation of Malaya declares independence from the UKFeatures On this day in 1957, after ten years of preparation, the Federation of Malaya became an independent nation.
-
13 April 1960: the first satellite navigation system is launchedFeatures On this day in 1960, Nasa sent the Transit 1B satellite into orbit to provide positioning for the US Navy’s fleet of Polaris ballistic missile submarines.
-
9 April 1838: National Gallery opens in Trafalgar Square
Features On this day in 1838, William Wilkins’ new National Gallery building in Trafalgar Square opened to the public.
-
3 March 1962: British Antarctic Territory is created
Features On this day in 1962, Britain formed the British Antarctic Territory administered from the Falkland Islands.
-
10 March 2000: the dotcom bubble peaks
Features Tech mania fanned by the dawning of the internet age inflated the dotcom bubble to maximum extent, on this day in 2000.
-
9 March 1776: Adam Smith publishes 'The Wealth of Nations'
Features On this day in 1776, Adam Smith, the “father of modern economics”, published his hugely influential book The Wealth of Nations.
-
8 March 1817: the New York Stock Exchange is formed
Features On this day in 1817, a group of brokers moved out of a New York coffee house to form what would become the biggest stock exchange in the world.
-
7 March 1969: Queen Elizabeth II officially opens the Victoria Line
Features On this day in 1969, Queen Elizabeth II took only her second trip on the tube to officially open the underground’s newest line – the Victoria Line.
