The Pony Express a new faster mail service using riders on a horseback relay instead of the traditional stagecoaches begins service between St. Joseph, Mo., and Sacramento, Calif. The Pony Express reduced the time for mail to travel from the Atlantic and Pacific coasts to around ten days. After only 1 year in March 1861 after suffering large losses and not gaining the mail contract The Pony Express Company ceased trading.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has met Syria's President Bashar al-Assad, who tells her that he is keen to resume peace talks with Israel. While in Damascus, Pelosi says that she has given Assad a similar message from the Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert. She voices concern over Syria's connections to Hamas, and stresses the importance of Damascus' role in the peace talks between Palestine and Israel. Her visit angers President Bush, who says that it undermines U.S. foreign policy. Bush also says that Pelosi's trip will send "mixed signals" that could undermine the U.S.-led efforts to isolate the Syrian president.