An ancient courier satchel ' Image from page 299 of "Indo-Aryans: contributions towards the elucidation of their ancient and mediaeval history" (1881) ' by Internet Archive Book Images is licensed by CC BY 4.0 

Hello, my dears!

I don't know if I've told you yet, but as of late I've been on a bit of a history 'kick'. I've been finding myself seeking out articles and videos about different periods in history, and doing Google searches about random facts. And the other day, while messing about on the Internet, I had an idea – I decided to look up some things relating to the history of the courier business! I ended up finding some really interesting facts, and had the idea to come here and share them with you guys. So bear with me, because for the next two weeks we'll be having a bit of a history lesson.

This week, for example, I thought I'd share with you some of the information I found about the evolution of courier networks throughout the ages. I know that for most people, the very concept of a 'courier network' is a new-fangled thing, born from the information age; but the truth is, networks of this type have been around in one form or another for centuries. Want proof? Read on.

Now, before we start, I think I should make something clear: when I use the term courier network throughout this text, I'm not necessarily talking about the modern-day, high-tech platform that couriers and hauliers are growing more and more fond of (and rightly so!); as I said above, the term can be used in a lot of different ways.

Take, for instance, the system of smoke signals used by Native Americans. Those clouds could be carried by the winds for dozens or even hundreds of miles (and passed on again and again) to warn other tribes of impending danger or a change in fortune. They could perfectly well be considered a very early courier network. As could the Pony Express, also common during the Wild West period, which I actually consider to be the very early ancestor of our modern high-tech networks. And there are plenty of other examples too, such as homing pigeon networks, knights on horseback during the Middle Ages or messenger soldiers during the Great War. All of these fit, in one way or another, under the umbrella term 'courier network'.

So, as you can see, networks of this type are anything but modern. And thanks to Aunt Gertie, you now know exactly where your favourite online platform got its origins!

Come back next month for the second half of our 'courier history lesson'. Until then, ta-ra!

 Gertie
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