Busting myths about psychopathic women
Ripley's Believe It or Not! annual Strange Mail Contest had participants posting all sorts of odd objects. In 2014, one of them was a tree trunk.
It was not until they posted a human molar that they received the following message: "Please be advised that human remains may not be transported through the mail, but we assumed this to be of sentimental value and made an exception in your case." In total, 64% of the odd objects were delivered The findings of the research were published in the 'Annals of Improbable Research.'
The Pink Chaddi Campaign (or Pink Underwear Campaign) was a movement in India in response to a 2009 attack on women for supposedly violating Hindu culture. Over 50,000 pink chaddi (undies) were sent to chief of the Rashtriya Hindu Sena, Pramod Muthalik, on Valentine's Day.
What's more, uShip was responsible for delivering a SeaSwirl Striper boat. The trip from Miami, Florida, to Anchorage, Alaska, took 12 days.
In 2012, former Canada Prime Minister Stephen Harper was sent a human foot. The parcel was delivered to the Conservative Party headquarters. This was actually linked to a torso found in Montreal. Ottawa police took it from there.
Sources: (Listverse) (The Atlantic) (Reader's Digest) (HuffPost) (Postal Museum) (The Guardian)
See also: Get to know the Penguin Post Office
Another odd object received in the headquarters of Ripley's was a prosthetic arm.
US shipping company uShip have published a number of odd things shipped by them in their Hall of Fame list. This includes two miniature donkeys shipped from North Carolina to Connecticut.
According to the list published by uShip, three massive antique player pianos were sent from Belleview, Florida, to Williamsburg, Michigan.
In 2017, a "55-pound golden kings throne" was shipped from Texas to Ocala, Florida.
The potato-sending market is actually a thing. For instance, a company called Potato Parcel allows you to post a potato with a message. Who needs a card when you can send a potato, right?
W. Reginald Bray was an English eccentric who tried to push the limits of the British Royal Mail. In 1898, he posted all sorts of things, including frying pans, half-smoked cigars, and a rabbit’s skull. If that wasn't enough, Bray also got himself delivered as a letter!
Someone in Los Angeles got a "rare antique galvanized tin cowboy bathtub" shipped all the way from Oklahoma.
Coltharp got 15,000 bricks delivered at a fraction of the cost. Around 40 crates a day (a ton of bricks) were delivered daily. Rules on how much weight could be carried in a single day changed after this. The "Parcel Post Bank" still exists to this day (pictured).
In 1913, Mr. and Mrs. Jesse Beauge of Ohio posted their baby to his grandmother, who lived about a mile away. They paid 15 cents and insured him for $50.
In the 1890s, New York City was using pneumatic tubes to deliver mail. Among the first items sent were a copy of the Bible and a live cat. It turns out the cat survived the journey. The pneumatic tube system stopped being used in 1953.
According to a 1895 New York Post Office worker, diseases like smallpox, diphtheria, and scarlet fever were posted by physicians to the Health Board.
The weight limits increased to 23 kg (50 lbs), so on February 19, 1914, five-year-old Charlotte May Pierstorff was shipped to her grandmother. Her journey in the mail car was cheaper than a train ticket. The girl's mother's cousin, who was a railway postal clerk, did escort the child throughout the journey. Shipment of humans was prohibited after the event.
Suffragettes would again try a similar approach a few months later. Pictured is suffragette Jessie Kenney, dressed as a telegraph boy, trying to reach the prime minister at a meeting in Manchester on December 10, 1909.
Henry Brown was born into slavery in 19th-century Virginia. After his wife and children were sold and taken away from him, Brown decided to escape slavery in a creative way.
He did so by being shipped to abolitionists in Philadelphia. Brown was sealed in a crate labeled "Dry Goods" with some biscuits and water, and 27 hours later he arrived at his destination as a free man. Brown went on to become a magician and showman.
Winston paid US$2.44 for the package and delivery. He did, however, take out a $1 million insurance policy!
On February 23, 1909, suffragettes Miss Solomon and Miss McLellan made use of the Post Office service to deliver themselves as "human letters" to 10 Downing Street. They did so in an attempt to speak to British Prime Minister H.H. Asquith.
Gem dealer Harry Winston, who was then the owner of the diamond, thought the US Post Office was the best way to get the job done. The Hope Diamond was safely delivered by Postman James G. Todd (far left) and Postmaster General Arthur Summerfield (next to him, holding the package).
The 45.52-carat diamond was extracted in the 17th century in Guntur, India. In 1958, it was donated to the Smithsonian Institution.
At 3,100 carats (around 0.6 kg or 1.3 lbs), the Cullinan Diamond is the largest ever found. It was discovered in South Africa and gifted to King Edward VII. The valuable diamond was posted to London.
A group of investigators tried to push the limits of what the US Postal Service would allow. Items posted included a box of dead fish and a helium-filled balloon.
The US Parcel Post Service began in 1913. The criteria was simple: any package weighing up to 5 kg (11 lbs) would be delivered. And there was no restriction on what could and couldn't be delivered.
In the 1910s, banker William H. Coltharp decided to build a bank in Vernal, Utah. Transporting the bricks from Salt Lake City proved to be expensive, so he made use of the Parcel Service.
An entire Yoda LEGO display was shipped from a store in LaVerne, Tennessee, to an individual in White Stone, Virginia.
The parcel service revolutionized the way people sent stuff around the world. For a fee, individuals could ship all sorts of things across the country, and, in some cases, across borders. While today there are many rules on what can and cannot be posted, which include limits on size, weight, and quantity, in the early days things were a lot more ambiguous, and some people certainly took advantage of this fact!
From parents posting their children to body parts being shipped out, in this gallery you'll get to know all about the weird stuff sent through the post. Click on for more.
Children and other unbelievable things sent through the mail
What's the oddest object you've ever posted?
LIFESTYLE Bizarre
The parcel service revolutionized the way people sent stuff around the world. For a fee, individuals could ship all sorts of things across the country, and, in some cases, across borders. While today there are many rules on what can and cannot be posted, which include limits on size, weight, and quantity, in the early days things were a lot more ambiguous, and some people certainly took advantage of this fact!
From parents posting their children to body parts being shipped out, in this gallery you'll get to know all about the weird stuff sent through the post. Click on for more.