Paris operated a massive pneumatic tube network starting in 1866 that relied on pressurized air to blast cylindrical canisters of mail beneath the city streets.

A closer look

Paris operated a massive pneumatic tube network starting in 1866 that relied on pressurized air to blast cylindrical canisters of mail beneath the city streets. At its peak, this Steampunk-style transit system covered over two hundred and sixty miles and could deliver a letter across the French capital in less than two hours, which is honestly faster than most modern courier services. Engineers built this pressurized labyrinth because the surface streets were far too congested with horse manure and carriages for efficient physical delivery. Of course, humans ruin everything, so people inevitably tried to see what else they could cram into the tubes, reportedly sending weird items like live cats or sandwiches flying through the darkness at thirty miles per hour. The system was finally shut down in 1984 as faxes and computers rendered it obsolete, tragically robbing us of a future where we commute to work by climbing into a giant plastic capsule and getting violently sucked through a pipe