“The Pony Express debuts” and “Annie Hall beats Darth Vader” - This Day in History – Apr 3rd

Pony Express Mail Debuts

Back in 1860, St. Joseph, MO and Sacramento, CA premiered the simultaneous traveling by horse and rider relay teams called the first Pony Express.  

According to history.com, “The Pony Express debuted at a time before radios and telephones, when California, which achieved statehood in 1850, was still largely cut off from the eastern part of the country. Letters sent from New York to the West Coast traveled by ship, which typically took at least a month, or by stagecoach on the recently established Butterfield Express overland route, which could take from three weeks to many months to arrive. Compared to the snail's pace of the existing delivery methods, the Pony Express' average delivery time of 10 days seemed like lightning speed.” 

For a mere $5 delivery charge for every half-ounce of mail, the usage of the Pony Express provided a profitable delivery contract from the U.S. Government.

History.com stated that, “with the advent of the first transcontinental telegraph line in October 1861, the Pony Express ceased operations. However, the legend of the lone Pony Express rider galloping across the Old West frontier to deliver the mail lives on today.”

Annie Hall vs. Star Wars for Best Picture

Back in 1978, the 50^th Annual Academy Awards shocked George Lucas’ “Star Wars,” fans as their film lost to Woody Allen’s “Annie Hall.”

According to history.com, “At the time Annie Hall was made and released, Keaton was Allen’s real-life girlfriend. She was born Diane Hall, and the character of the clever but scatterbrained Annie was based loosely on her. Keaton also brought her own fashion sense to the film, and Annie’s effortlessly quirky style, a mix of baggy trousers, hats and oversized jackets, would inspire a wave of imitators. When it was released, Annie Hall grossed some $40 million and was praised by critics as Allen’s best work to date. In addition to Best Picture, the film won Oscars for Allen as Best Director and Best Original Screenplay (with Marshall Brickman) and for Keaton as Best Actress. Allen, who declined to attend the ceremony, received a nomination for Best Actor as well. With his win in the Best Director category, Allen became the first director to win an Oscar for a movie in which he also starred.” 

Annie Hall’s profits at the box office are in no comparison to Star Wars.  According to BoxOfficeMojo.com, this film has grossed $775 million worldwide and is still ranked the #37 movie of all time

All History facts provided from the link below:

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/lemieux-wins-nhl-scoring-title-stops-gretzky-streak?catId=10