Obscure Links - April 16, 2026¶
Theme: Municipal Weirdness
Today's curated discoveries from the hidden corners of the web.
1. Experimental Modes of Civic Engagement in Civic Tech – Smart Chicago¶
Resource hosted on www.smartchicagocollaborative.org—open to explore the primary source.
2. The Pneumatic Tube Mail System in New York City - Untapped New York¶
One of our favorite obscure facts about NYC: It once had a pneumatic tube mail system that stretched for 27 miles, moving mail at 30 MPH!
3. NYC's First Subway, A One Block Pneumatic Tunnel Below Broadway - Untapped New York¶
In 1870, inventor Alfred Ely Beach developed the first NYC subway line running on pneumatics which ran for a block underneath Broadway in lower Manhattan.