A flu virus shut down the US economy in 1872 by infecting horses

And without horses the firemen that might have prevented the Great Boston Fire of 1872 weren't able to move very quickly.

&gt; Trains refused to stop at some cities where depots overflowed with undelivered goods.<p>I&#x27;ve heard it described as a rail-<i>and-horse</i> system, with a rail network connecting hubs, and horse last miles.

I read or heard something about this recently in connection with some etymological deep dive someone was doing. I can’t remember any details, unhelpfully.

Reminds of what horses did for us and what we do to them. Thanks for the great article.