The Evolution of Travel Speed in USA (4 pictures)

There’s no doubt that improvements in transportation are world-changing. But in this age of fast travel and instant digital communications, we tend to forget that not so long ago, distances were subjectively very different.

In the 1800s, for example, traveling a few hundred miles in the USA meant taking a steam-powered train and the trip could sometimes take days, and going from coast to coast – something that now takes less than a day – could take weeks.

These old maps showing how far you could get across the USA in a day, and the evolution of the speed of travel over the years.