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Chronicling America is a searchable digital collection of historic newspaper pages through 1963 sponsored jointly by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Library of Congress.
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Also, see the Directory of U.S. Newspapers in American Libraries, a searchable index to newspapers published in the United States since 1690, which helps researchers identify what titles exist for a specific place and time, and how to access them.
On May 15, 1918, the United States Postal Office Department established the first aerial mail route from the District of Columbia to New York. After many experiments and the interruption brought on by the first World War, the Aerial Mail Service was able to gain support as planes had finally proved themselves a reliable resource. The United States was able initiate the first uses of commercial flying that would extend far beyond mail.
The information in this guide focuses on primary source materials found in the digitized historic newspapers from the digital collection Chronicling America.
The timeline below highlights important dates in the development of the U.S. Airmail service, and a section of this guide provides some suggested search strategies for further research in the collection.
| February 12, 1912 | The U.S. Post Office begins experiments with transporting mail by airplane. |
|---|---|
| May 15, 1918 | The first air mail route is established between Washington, DC and New York. |
| August 11, 1918 | Aerial mail was taken over by the United States Post Office. |
| November 30, 1918 | The Aerial Mail Service obtains planes from the War Department to extend routes. |
| May 15, 1919 | Aerial mail celebrates its first anniversary. |
| July 26, 1919 | The first aerial mail strike is broken up. |
| July 30, 1919 | The first transcontinental airmail routes are planned by Otto Praeger. |
| 1919 | During this year, many extensions are routed across the country. |
| January 7, 1922 | Night flying speeds the delivery service and makes airmail service even more appealing. |
