How Sears and Montgomery Ward Changed American Shipping

(via Atlas Obscura) Decades ago, long before Amazon Prime, when the American shipping industry was still in its infancy, it was similar, if wholly different kinds of companies that helped shepherd home delivery into adolescence: mail-order catalogs, from Sears & Roebuck and Montgomery Ward.  Both catalogs debuted in the late 19th century, capitalizing on the expansion of the country’s mail and package delivery systems.