20 Surprising Facts That May Change Your Mind About Evil Dictators
2. Genghis Khan Created The International Postal System
The founder of the great Mongol Empire, Genghis Khan is believed to have killed as many as 40million people while conquering Eurasia - possibly reducing the world's population by as much as 11 per cent in the process. In order to conquer such a vast area, the Mongol leader ensured he introduced a vast and highly-sophisticated communication network across the continent. His medieval postal service - "The Yam" - involved mail-houses and stations being positioned strategically across the entire empire. As well as providing for the smooth movement of goods across the territories, the Yam also allowed information to be spread quickly so it was a key defensive and military tool too. It was so efficient for the 12th Century that Marco Polo even used the Yam in order to send messages. In fact, it takes so long for the Royal Mail to deliver post that it seems they have based their own postal service on a similar structure to that of the medieval Mongol Empire...
NUFC editor for WhatCulture.com/NUFC. History graduate (University of Edinburgh) and NCTJ-trained journalist. I love sports, hopelessly following Newcastle United and Newcastle Falcons. My pastimes include watching and attending sports matches religiously, reading spy books and sampling ales.
The founder of the great Mongol Empire, Genghis Khan is believed to have killed as many as 40million people while conquering Eurasia - possibly reducing the world's population by as much as 11 per cent in the process. In order to conquer such a vast area, the Mongol leader ensured he introduced a vast and highly-sophisticated communication network across the continent. His medieval postal service - "The Yam" - involved mail-houses and stations being positioned strategically across the entire empire. As well as providing for the smooth movement of goods across the territories, the Yam also allowed information to be spread quickly so it was a key defensive and military tool too. It was so efficient for the 12th Century that Marco Polo even used the Yam in order to send messages. In fact, it takes so long for the Royal Mail to deliver post that it seems they have based their own postal service on a similar structure to that of the medieval Mongol Empire...