Google Honors Pony Express Anniversary With Doodle Game

You've likely heard of the Pony Express — it is a staple of western stories and modern lore, though it only lasted a year and half before coming to an end. It served a very important purpose, however, filling the gap that existed between far ranging travel and the widespread use of the telegraph. It ultimately proved to be a financial disaster for those who created it, but their efforts have not been forgotten. Today is the 155th anniversary of the Pony Express's launch, and it has been honored with a Google Doodle.

You can see the Google Doodle now on Google, and in typical Google fashion it comes in the form of a game. This isn't the first Google Doodle that has been offered in the form of a game, and as you might expect, it involves being a Pony Express rider on a horse collecting mail across the browned Wild West.

The task is simple — you ride around collecting letters that are scattered around the ground, but it won't be easy. Cacti and other obstacles pepper the ground, getting in the way and potentially knocking you off your horse. Each time you're knocked off, you'll lose a couple of your letters. Stay at it long enough, and you'll eventually be crossing streams and more.

Eventually the telegraph won out and the litany of horses were retired from their post-passing jobs. That hasn't stopped the romanticism of it all, however, and now with the Doodle there's a brief excuse to procrastinate.