In March 1919, airplane manufacturer William Boeing and pilot Eddie Hubbard carried a sack of mail from Vancouver to Seattle in Boeing's private seaplane. This demonstration flight was the first known international air mail trip. It took the two men three hours each way, including stops. At the time, it took much longer for the mail to travel between the two cities by ship. Boeing predicted a great future for air mail service.

In this photo, taken in March 1919, Eddie Hubbard (left) and William Boeing (right) stand near Boeing's C-700 seaplane, holding a bag of mail. The flight publicized the potential for air mail service as well as the plane itself.

SHS category: Aeronautics