document_title: Michigan–Ohio State football rivalry

question_text: when was the last time michigan beat ohio state in football

text: Michigan–Ohio State football rivalry

text: Series history[edit]

text: Early years (1897–1949)[edit]

text: When the University of Michigan and Ohio State met for the first time in 1897, the Toledo War was within the memories of some still living, and the short-lived border war may have fueled the rivalry between the two opposing teams.[11] The inaugural game, held at Ann Arbor, resulted in a lopsided victory for Michigan, with the Wolverines posting a 34–0 win over Ohio State's Buckeyes.[12] The teams did not meet in 1898 or 1899, but played again in 1900.

text: The first game foretold a long Michigan winning streak, with Michigan winning or tying every game from 1897 to 1912 and thereby compiling a 12–0–2 record before the contest was postponed for several years. The Ohio State Alma Mater "Carmen Ohio" was written on the train ride home to Columbus following the 1902 contest, which saw Ohio State lose to Michigan 86–0. The lyrics and melody (Spanish Chant) have remained largely unchanged since its conception.

text: Ohio State became a member of the Big Ten Conference in 1912. In 1917, Michigan rejoined the conference after a ten-year absence. In 1918, the teams played their first conference matchup, with Michigan prevailing 14–0 and lodging its eleventh shutout over the Buckeyes. The rivalry has been renewed annually every year since then. In 1919, the Buckeyes (led by legendary halfback Chic Harley) won their first game in the series, beating the Wolverines 13–3. The Buckeyes won the following two contests as well, to bring the series record to 13–3–2.

text: Harley's prowess spurred the university to campaign to build a stadium for Ohio State football. The stadium was completed in 1922, and the first of many historic games in Ohio Stadium took place on October 21, 1922, the day the stadium was dedicated in Columbus. In front of a record 71,000 fans, the Wolverines posted another shutout of the home team Buckeyes, 19–0. According to lore, there was a wager on the outcome of this game, and yellow flowers on a blue background still exist today in the upper part of the stadium's rotunda.[13] Michigan won the next five games before OSU picked up the final two victories of the decade. At the end of the 1920s, the series stood at 19–5–2 in favor of Michigan.

text: Michigan won three of four contests between 1930 and 1933, claiming the national championship twice. In 1934, Francis Schmidt came on as the head coach for Ohio State. The team had lost nine of the previous 12 Michigan-OSU contests, and when a reporter asked Schmidt if Ohio State could beat Michigan that year, he replied, "Of course we can win, Michigan puts their pants on one leg at a time just like we do". The Buckeyes thereupon ran off four straight shutout victories against Michigan, outscoring the Wolverines 114–0 from 1934 to 1937. Schmidt's quote spawned an OSU tradition—since 1934, every Ohio State player receives a gold pants pendant after a victory against Michigan.

text: Michigan won the three games from 1938 to 1940. The 1940 game, won by Michigan, 40–0, was the benchmark performance of what some[who?] consider to be the greatest Michigan team in history, and was the final collegiate game of the tailback tandem of Tom Harmon and Paul Kromer.

text: In 1941, Michigan and Ohio State met for the first time with each team ranked in the AP Poll, which had started in 1936. The 14th-ranked Buckeyes played the 5th-ranked Wolverines to a 20–20 tie in Ann Arbor.

text: In 1945, Michigan quarterback Howard Yerges led Michigan to a 7–3 victory over Ohio State. Yerges played for Ohio State in 1943 as a freshman (freshmen were eligible to play during wartime) and then transferred to Michigan in 1944, making him one of three players to play on both sides in the rivalry. Five more times during the 1940s, the teams were both ranked for their annual matchup. Michigan won five of the next seven games before playing to their second tie of the decade in 1949. The series record stood at 30–12–4 at the mid-century mark.

text: "Snow Bowl" and Woody Hayes (1950–1968)[edit]

text: One of the more famous games in the rivalry is the 1950 contest, colloquially known as the Snow Bowl. Eighth-ranked Ohio State, coached by Wes Fesler, was scheduled to host the game on November 25 in Columbus amidst one of the worst blizzards on Ohio record. The Buckeyes, who led the Big Ten, were granted the option to cancel the game against Michigan, which would have, by default, given the Buckeyes the Big Ten title outright. Ohio State refused, and the game was set to be played. Amid howling snow and wind, in a famous example of a "field position" game, the teams exchanged 45 punts, often on first down, in hopes that the other team would fumble the ball near or into their own end zone. Ohio State's Vic Janowicz, who would claim the Heisman Trophy that year, punted 21 times for 685 yards and also kicked a field goal in the first quarter for the Buckeyes' only points. Michigan capitalized on two blocked punts, booting one out of the back of the end zone for a safety and recovering another one in the end zone for a touchdown just before halftime. Despite failing to gain a single first down or complete a single forward pass, Michigan gained a 9–3 victory, securing the Big Ten title and a Rose Bowl berth. Heavy criticism of Fesler's play calling led to his resignation and the hiring of Woody Hayes as his successor.

text: Between 1951 and 1968 under Hayes, the Buckeyes won 12 of 18 contests, including a 1957 victory in Michigan Stadium, the first game in the series attended by over 100,000 fans. In 1958, Ohio State had a 20–14 lead towards the end of the game. On the final play, Michigan fullback Gene Sisinyak ran the ball from the one-yard line for what might have been a game-winning touchdown, but Ohio State defensive tackle Dick Schafrath hit Sisinyak, forcing a fumble. In the 1968 game, Ohio State won 50–14, outscoring its foe 29–0 in the second half and attempting an unsuccessful two-point conversion attempt on its final touchdown. In the post-game interview Hayes was asked why he went for two points with an already insurmountable 50–14 lead and he replied, "because I couldn't go for three". The victory gave top-ranked Ohio State the Big Ten title for the first time in seven years en route to an AP national championship. The Buckeyes had also narrowed the series margin to 37–24–4.

text: "Ten-Year War": Hayes vs Schembechler (1969–1978)[edit]

text: Wolverines coach Bump Elliott resigned after the 1968 loss and Michigan hired Miami (Ohio) head coach Bo Schembechler, who had previously been an assistant at Ohio State under Hayes, to revitalize its football program. On November 22, 1969, Hayes led his top-ranked Buckeyes into Michigan Stadium to face Schembechler's Wolverines in the first matchup between two coaches who would come to define the rivalry between the two programs. The Buckeyes brought a 22-game winning streak into Ann Arbor, but behind an inspiring 60-yard punt return by Barry Pierson that set up a Wolverine touchdown in the second quarter, and a defense that intercepted Ohio State six times (three by Pierson), the Wolverines won a defensive battle (both teams were scoreless in the second half) for a 24–12 upset.

text: The contest was the first in the famous "Ten-Year War" between Hayes and Schembechler, which pitted some of OSU's and UM's strongest teams against one another. Four times between 1970 and 1975, Ohio State and Michigan were both ranked in the top five of the AP Poll before their matchup. The Wolverines entered every game during those years undefeated and won only once, a 10–7 victory in Ann Arbor on November 20, 1971. The Michigan graduating class of 1975 shared or won the Big Ten championship every season, yet went to the Rose Bowl only once, in 1972. They only lost or tied with Ohio State during the regular season in that period.

text: In 1973, both teams entered undefeated, with the winner guaranteed a trip to the Rose Bowl. The rivals played to a 10–10 tie in Ann Arbor on November 24, and the athletic directors of the other Big Ten institutions were forced to vote on the Big Ten representative for the bowl game. In a secret ballot, Ohio State won the vote, to the outrage of Michigan athletic officials and fans. Schembechler argued that Michigan was robbed of its on-field achievements, and for months afterward, Ohio State newspapers were flooded with angry Wolverine letters and threats of lawsuits.

text: Woody coined the phrase "That state up north" and "That team up north", so he would not have to say the word "Michigan". He was famous for his intense hatred of all things Michigan and according to legend, once refused to get gas in an empty tank, saying: "No, goddammit! We do NOT pull in and fill up. And I'll tell you exactly why we don't. It's because I don't buy one goddam drop of gas in the state of Michigan! We'll coast and PUSH this goddam car to the Ohio line before I give this state a nickel of my money!"[14]

text: During the "Ten-Year War," Ohio State and Michigan shared the Big Ten title six times. Between 1976 and 1978, Michigan won the game each year, and Ohio State failed to score a touchdown in each of those contests. Woody Hayes was fired at the end of the 1978 season after punching a Clemson player [15] during the Gator Bowl, which ended the "War." The 1978 game was won by Michigan, 14–3, giving Schembechler a record of 5–4–1 against Hayes. At the end of the Hayes tenure, the series stood at 42–28–5.

text: Schembechler vs Bruce (1979–1987)[edit]

text: Earle Bruce took over for Hayes and led the Buckeyes to a 5–4 record against Schembechler's Wolverines between 1979 and 1987, perhaps the most balanced stretch of the rivalry, during which neither team won more than two consecutive games. In 1987, Bruce was fired in the week before the Michigan game due to a poor season record, but was allowed to coach anyway, and the inspired Buckeyes (each wearing a sweatband labeled "Earle") won an upset over the heavily favored Wolverines. After the game, Bo Schembechler told Bruce, "I always mind losing to Ohio State but I didn't mind so much today."[16] After 1987, the series stood at 46–33–5 in favor of UM.

text: John Cooper era (1988–2000)[edit]

text: The 13 games during John Cooper's tenure as Buckeye coach were dominated by Michigan, as the Wolverines went 10–2–1 during the stretch. Schembechler coached Michigan through the 1989 season and then turned over the reins to one of his assistants, Gary Moeller, who led the team for five seasons before another longtime Michigan assistant, Lloyd Carr, became the head coach in 1995.

text: The most notorious matchups of the era took place in 1993, 1995, and 1996, in which Ohio State entered the game each year undefeated. The Buckeyes had a 9–0–1 record heading into the 1993 game and were looking to claim an outright Big Ten title against a Michigan team that had already lost four times. Michigan receiver Mercury Hayes and running backs Jon Ritchie, Che Foster, and Ed Davis each scored a touchdown as the Wolverines shocked the Buckeyes, 28–0. After the game, Cooper said: "This is one of the most embarrassing games I've ever been involved with." "They outplayed us on offense, on defense, and in the kicking game. If you'd told me we would come up here and get beat 28–0, I'd have probably stayed home."[17]

text: In 1995, #2 Ohio State was led by eventual Heisman Trophy winner Eddie George and future National Football League (NFL) stars Orlando Pace, Terry Glenn, Mike Vrabel, Shawn Springs, and Rickey Dudley. Glenn insisted there wasn't anything special about the Wolverines: "Michigan's nothing," he said.[18] Perhaps inspired by this remark, the Wolverines manhandled the Buckeyes at the line of scrimmage from the very first play. Michigan senior running back Tim Biakabutuka amassed 313 yards rushing in Michigan's 31–23 upset.

text: The Buckeyes had high expectations again entering the 1996 contest. They boasted an unblemished 10–0 record and were ranked #2 in the nation as they entered the finale with 7–3 Michigan. When Ohio State jumped to a 9–0 halftime lead, the OSU crowd sensed a special finish and perhaps a rise to #1. The Wolverines' defense shut the Buckeyes out in the second half while Brian Griese replaced the struggling Scott Dreisbach and led Michigan to 13 unanswered points and another victory over their rivals, 13–9. The game would turn out to be the Buckeyes' only loss of the season and ended up costing them a chance of the national championship.

text: In 1997, Ohio State hoped to return the favor: the 10–0 Wolverines sat atop the AP Poll entering their matchup with the 10–1 Buckeyes, who were ranked #4. Spearheaded by the play of eventual Heisman winner Charles Woodson, who ran a punt back for a touchdown, intercepted a pass in the Ohio State end zone, and caught a 37-yard pass that set up freshman running back Anthony Thomas' touchdown run, the Wolverines prevailed, 20–14. The Wolverines then defeated Washington State in the Rose Bowl by a 21–16 score, winning their first national championship since 1948.

text: Ohio State came back with a win in the 1998 contest, but Michigan went on to win in 1999 and 2000. Senior quarterback Tom Brady hit sophomore receiver Marquise Walker for the game-winning touchdown pass with five minutes to go to for a 24–17 victory in 1999. In the 2000 game, Michigan grabbed a 31–12 lead and held on to win, 38–26. Michigan junior quarterback Drew Henson went 14 for 25 passing for 303 yards and three scores and added a touchdown run. At the end of the 2000 season, Cooper was fired. While he consistently fielded strong teams, his 2–10–1 record against Michigan, including his failure to ever win in Ann Arbor, was, along with disciplinary problems and a losing record in bowl games, a major contributor to his dismissal. Michigan students held a "John Cooper Day" celebration in Ann Arbor on February 10, 2001 in mock celebration of Cooper's record in the rivalry.[citation needed]

text: Enter Jim Tressel (2001–2007)[edit]

text: In 2001, Youngstown State head football coach Jim Tressel took over as Buckeye head coach. Unlike his predecessor John Cooper, Tressel put a special emphasis on the rivalry. In his introductory speech at halftime of a January basketball game, against Michigan, he said "I can assure you that you will be proud of our young people, in the classroom, in the community, and most especially in 310 days in Ann Arbor, Michigan on the football field." In his first year, Tressel registered the Buckeyes' first defeat of the Wolverines in Ann Arbor in 14 years, by a 26–20 score. Led by senior running back Jonathan Wells, the Buckeyes raced to a 23–0 halftime lead. With Wells out, Michigan mounted a second half comeback that fell just short. The next year, Tressel achieved what Cooper could not: Beating Michigan in consecutive years with a 14–9 victory. The game was decided on the last play when defensive back Will Allen intercepted a pass at the two yard line as time expired to clinch the victory. The Buckeyes were led by freshman running back Maurice Clarett, who ran for 119 yards and one touchdown. He also had a key reception to set up Maurice Hall's game-winning score. The Buckeyes went on to win the national championship that season, as they defeated Miami in the Fiesta Bowl.

text: In 2003, Michigan struck back and won the 100th meeting between the historical rivals by a score of 35–21 in Ann Arbor. Senior running back Chris Perry, a Heisman finalist, had 154 yards rushing and two touchdowns to lead the Wolverines to the victory. Braylon Edwards contributed seven catches for 130 yards and two big touchdowns. The game's attendance was 112,118, the largest crowd ever for an NCAA football game at the time.[19] In 2004, the 6–4 Buckeyes defeated the heavily favored 9–1 Wolverines, 37–21, behind the leadership of quarterback Troy Smith and true freshman receiver Ted Ginn, Jr. The Buckeyes added another win in the 2005 game by overcoming a 21–12 deficit with less than eight minutes in the game. In the closing minutes of the game, the Buckeye offense scored two touchdowns to claim a 25–21 victory. Smith threw for 300 yards and completed 73% of his passes. Ginn had a game high nine catches for 89 yards.

text: 2006: No. 1 vs. No. 2[edit]

text:
Game of the Century (in 2006)

Michigan Wolverines
Ohio State Buckeyes

(11–0)
(11–0)

39
42

Head coach:
Lloyd Carr
Head coach:
Jim Tressel

AP
Coaches
BCS

2
2
2

AP
Coaches
BCS

1
1
1

1
2
3
4
Total

Michigan
7
7
10
15
39

Ohio State
7
21
7
7
42

Date
November 18, 2006

Season
2006

Stadium
Ohio Stadium

Location
Columbus, Ohio

text: On November 18, 2006, Ohio State and Michigan met for their annual showdown, each carrying an 11–0 record. For the first time in the history of the rivalry, the two rivals faced off while holding the top two spots in the Bowl Championship Series rankings. Ohio State won the game by a score of 42–39 and became the outright Big Ten champion, earning the right to play for a national championship at the BCS National Championship Game in Glendale, Arizona. Michigan struck first with a touchdown run by junior running back Mike Hart, but the Buckeyes then scored 21 unanswered points, and at halftime, they were up 28–14. Thanks to an interception and a fumble recovery by junior defensive tackle Alan Branch, Michigan made it 35–31 Ohio State with 14 minutes to go in the fourth quarter. But after appearing to have forced Ohio State into a fourth-down situation with six minutes to go, junior outside linebacker Shawn Crable was called for roughing the passer, giving the Buckeyes a fresh set of downs. Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith then passed to Brian Robiskie for a touchdown, increasing the Buckeyes' lead to 42–31 with five minutes remaining in the game. After Ohio State was called for pass interference on a failed fourth-down attempt, giving Michigan an automatic first down, junior quarterback Chad Henne found senior tight end Tyler Ecker for a 16-yard touchdown with two minutes to go to cut the OSU lead to 42–37. Senior wide receiver Steve Breaston caught the two-point conversion to bring the Wolverines within a field goal. Michigan needed to recover the ensuing onside kick, but they failed to do so. The Buckeyes ran out the clock for the victory, and a trip to the BCS national championship game. Troy Smith completed 71% of his passes for 316 yards and four touchdowns, essentially clinching the Heisman trophy. Ginn caught eight passes for 104 yards and a touchdown. Ohio State running back Antonio Pittman ran for 139 yards on 18 carries for a 7.7 yards-per-carry average. Michigan running back Mike Hart carried the ball 23 times for 142 yards and three touchdowns against a stout Buckeye defense. Chad Henne had 267 yards, two touchdowns, and no turnovers on a 60% completion percentage. Neither performance was, however, sufficient to turn the tide in favor of the Wolverines. The game was highly touted by ESPN/ABC (there was a game countdown clock for a week before kickoff) and was viewed by the largest television audience for a regular-season college football game since 1993, averaging 21.8 million viewers.[20] The victory marked the first time in 43 years that the Buckeyes had won three consecutive games in the series. The game gained even more significance when, on the eve of the meeting, Michigan head coach and former Ohio State assistant coach Bo Schembechler died. Schembechler was honored with a video tribute at Ohio Stadium as well as a moment of silence before kickoff.[21] Half an hour after the game ended, the Ohio Lottery PICK 4 evening drawing was 4–2–3–9, matching the final score of the game and paying out up to $5,000 per winner, for a total payout of $2.2 million.[22]

text: Following the game, there was a chance of a rematch in the 2007 BCS National Championship Game, but Florida was chosen over Michigan to be Ohio State's opponent.

text: A carousel of coaches (2008–2014)[edit]

text: Lloyd Carr retired as coach at Michigan following the 2007 season and another loss to Ohio State. Tressel had compiled a 6–1 record against Carr's Michigan teams, leaving Carr with a 6–7 career record against Ohio State. In December 2007, Michigan hired West Virginia head coach Rich Rodriguez to take over the football program. Rodriguez, known for his expertise in the spread offense, represented a significant departure from the Wolverines' traditional offensive style. Furthermore, both Carr and his predecessor Gary Moeller had been apprenticed by the now-legendary Schembechler, and Rodriguez's hiring marked the first time in 40 years that a Michigan football team would not be coached by a member of the "Schembechler school."

text: The 2008 game, Rodriguez's first against the Buckeyes, featured an Ohio State team that needed a win to secure at least a share of the Big Ten championship for the fourth straight year. Michigan by contrast entered the game with a 3–8 record, having already suffered more losses than in any other season in its history. The Buckeyes posted a 42–7 win, and scored their largest margin of victory over Michigan since 1968.

text: Ohio State won 21–10 in the 2009 game to extend their winning streak against Michigan to six games, their longest in the rivalry's history, and improve Jim Tressel's record versus Michigan to 8–1. Ohio State wore throwback uniforms to commemorate their 1954 national championship team. The 2009 meeting also saw Buckeye guard Justin Boren, who had transferred to Ohio State from Michigan in 2008, become the third player in school history to play for both teams (J. T. White and Howard Yerges, Jr. being the others)[23] and only the second to play for both teams in the rivalry game. In 2010, Ohio State again prevailed, 37–7 but had to vacate all wins from the 2010 season.[24]

text: Rodriguez was fired following Michigan's 2010 season, ending Michigan's flirtation with the spread—and with non-"Michigan Man" coaches. Rodriguez was succeeded by Brady Hoke, who served as Michigan's defensive line coach from 1995 to 2002. Hoke held head coaching positions at Ball State from 2003 to 2008 and San Diego State from 2009 to 2010 before returning to Michigan. Meanwhile, in Columbus, the Ohio State football program came under NCAA investigation in early 2011 for an incident in which several prominent players were discovered to have traded memorabilia for tattoos. Evidence surfaced that Tressel had known about the situation but had not reported it to school compliance officials, and that the abuses were more widespread and longstanding than originally reported.[25] On May 30, 2011, Tressel resigned as head coach and former Buckeye player and assistant coach Luke Fickell was appointed interim head coach for the 2011 season. In July 2011, in response to the ongoing NCAA investigation, Ohio State vacated all wins from the 2010 season, including the win over Michigan, leaving Tressel with a final record against Michigan of 8–1, with a win streak of six.[1]

text: Michigan won the 2011 meeting, 40–34, which was the first between two first-year coaches since the 1929 match-up of Harry Kipke and Sam Willaman. The Wolverines were led by junior quarterback Denard Robinson who accounted for 337 total yards rushing and passing, and five touchdowns.

text: On November 28, 2011, Urban Meyer, who had served as an assistant at Ohio State from 1986 to 1987, was named the 24th head coach for the Buckeyes, replacing Fickell.[26] In the 2012 matchup, OSU's junior running back Carlos Hyde ran for 146 yards and the fourth-ranked Buckeyes, trailing at halftime, shut down No. 20 Michigan's offense in the second half to prevail 26–21 and cap a 12–0 season.[27]

text: In 2013, Ohio State came to Michigan Stadium with an 11–0 record (7–0 Big Ten) and ranked #3 in the BCS standings. Michigan was a disappointing 7–4 (3–4 Big Ten). In spite of the seeming mismatch, the game remained close and with 32 seconds remaining Michigan scored to bring the score to 42–41. Michigan attempted a two-point conversion for the lead, but Devin Gardner's pass was intercepted in the end zone by Tyvis Powell, and Ohio State escaped with the win.

text: Michigan entered the 2014 contest with a 5–6 record and needed a win against Ohio State to become bowl eligible. Ohio State had a 10–1 record (7–0 in the Big Ten), and was holding onto hope that they would be selected as one of the top four teams in the nation and gain a spot in the first ever College Football Playoff. The game was tied at 21 until the fourth quarter when Ohio State scored three touchdowns (two on offense and one on defense) to go up 42–21. The Game ended 42–28. During the contest, OSU quarterback J. T. Barrett suffered a broken ankle and left the game in favor of third-string sophomore quarterback, Cardale Jones. Ohio State would go on to win the inaugural College Football Playoff and national championship.

text: Three days after the game, Michigan head coach Brady Hoke was fired and Michigan began searching for Hoke's successor. On December 30, 2014, Jim Harbaugh, former quarterback for Michigan from 1983 to 1986, was introduced by the University of Michigan as the school's new head football coach.

text: Meyer vs. Harbaugh (2015–present)[edit]

text: The 2015 game in Ann Arbor marked Harbaugh's first game as a head coach in the rivalry. His Michigan team was 9–2 coming into the game and Ohio State was 10–1. For the first time since 2006, both teams were ranked in the top 10, with Ohio State at #8 and Michigan at #10.[28] The first half was close, with Michigan scoring a touchdown shortly before halftime to narrow Ohio State's lead to 14–10. Ohio State, however, scored touchdowns on each of its first 4 possessions in the second half, while Michigan could only muster a single field goal. The final score was 42–13, in favor of Ohio State.

text: The 2016 game pitted the third-ranked Wolverines against the second-ranked Buckeyes, only the second time that the matchup featured programs both ranked in the nation's top three. Michigan led 10–7 at halftime and extended its lead to 17–7 early in the third quarter. An Ohio State touchdown cut the deficit to 17–14 heading to the fourth quarter. The Buckeyes kicked a field goal in the final seconds of regulation to tie the game and force overtime. The game marked the first overtime in the series between the two teams. Ohio State defeated Michigan for the fifth consecutive time, winning 30–27 in two overtimes.

text: The 2017 game, held in Ann Arbor, drew a crowd of more than 112,000, and featured the ninth-ranked Buckeyes against the unranked Wolverines. Michigan took an early lead and led 14-0 at the end of the first quarter but Ohio State tied the game at 14-14 before half time. Michigan's offense was limited to six points in the second half, and Ohio State scored 17, winning the game 31-20. The victory was the Buckeyes' sixth win in six years under head coach Urban Meyer. J.T. Barrett, Ohio State's starting quarterback, recorded 4 wins in 4 years as a starting quarterback—the first Ohio State QB to do so. Until this game, Ohio State had never come back and won a game against Michigan once down 14 or more points.

text: Big Ten expansion[edit]

text: In 2010, the Big Ten Conference announced that the University of Nebraska would be joining the Big Ten the following year, and that the Big Ten would be split into two divisions. When rumors surfaced that Ohio State and Michigan would be placed in different divisions, concerns arose that the teams might no longer play the last game of the regular season to avoid potential back-to-back games if each team won their division and earned the right to play in the Big Ten Championship Game. Fans bombarded the athletic directors of both schools, as well as the Big Ten commissioner with emails, creating pressure to keep The Game as the regular season finale. Ultimately, Michigan was placed in the Legends Division and Ohio State in the Leaders Division. The Michigan–Ohio State game became a "protected crossover" game, to be played every year at the end of the regular season.

text: The game became a division matchup in 2014 under the Big Ten's geographical realignment. Michigan and Ohio State were both placed in the East Division.

text: In popular culture[edit]

text: During the mid-2000s, ESPN aired several commercials describing certain situations that would be "normal, if it wasn't for sports". One commercial featured a man in an Ohio State shirt making out with a woman wearing a Michigan shirt.[29] An ESPNU commercial air portrayed a couple on a blind date that appears to be successful until it becomes clear that she is from Michigan and he is a fan of Ohio State.[30]

text: In 2006, as part of their "Midwest Midterm Midtacular", The Daily Show visited Ohio State University and made fun of the rivalry on the final night by having correspondent Rob Riggle report while wearing a Michigan sweatshirt. This brought boos, jeers, and a few laughs from the OSU audience. After the sketch was over, Jon Stewart compared the rivalry to the disputes between Sunni and Shiite Muslims.[31]

text: The 2007 HBO documentary Michigan vs. Ohio State: The Rivalry focused on the rivalry, chiefly the "Ten-Year War" through the present.[32]

text: The book Myth Directions by Robert Asprin, who attended Michigan, features a thinly veiled version of the Ohio State vs. Michigan game, parodying both sides and their fanaticism regarding the event.

text: The 1942 movie The Male Animal, based on a play of the same name by Ohio State alumni James Thurber and Elliott Nugent, also features a version of the game.

text: In 2011, 10-year-old Grant Reed of Columbus was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor. Not liking to use the word "cancer", Reed (whose parents are both Ohio State alums and himself is an Ohio State fan) decided to call his cancer "Michigan", since "Ohio State is always going to beat Michigan". The move of calling his cancer "Michigan" got the support of his parents, Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer (who Reed later got to meet), and even some Michigan fans, including Michigan head coach Brady Hoke.[33] After his last chemotherapy treatment in 2013 which placed him in remission, Reed now tells people that he "beat Michigan".[34]

text: Accomplishments by the two rivals[edit]

text:
Team
Michigan[35]
Ohio State[36]

National titles[37]
11
8

Bowl appearances[38][39]
45
47[n 1]

CFP appearances
0
2

BCS/NY6 appearances
6
14

Postseason bowl record
21–24
22–25[n 1]

Rose Bowl appearances
20
14

Rose Bowl wins
8
7

Big Ten Division titles[40]
0
6

Big Ten titles
42
36[n 1]

Consensus All-Americans[41][42]
81
83

Heisman Trophies[43]
3
7

All-time program record
943–338–36
897–324–53[n 1]

All-time win percentage
.730
.724[n 1]

text: Game results[edit]

text: Rankings are from the AP Poll.[n 1]

text:
Michigan victories
Ohio State victories
Tie games
Vacated wins

text:
No.
Date
Location
Winner
Score

1
1897
Ann Arbor
Michigan
34–0

2
1900
Ann Arbor
Tie
0–0

3
1901
Columbus
Michigan
21–0

4
1902
Ann Arbor
Michigan
86–0

5
1903
Ann Arbor
Michigan
36–0

6
1904
Columbus
Michigan
31–6

7
1905
Ann Arbor
Michigan
40–0

8
1906
Columbus
Michigan
6–0

9
1907
Ann Arbor
Michigan
22–0

10
1908
Columbus
Michigan
10–6

11
1909
Ann Arbor
Michigan
33–6

12
1910
Columbus
Tie
3–3

13
1911
Ann Arbor
Michigan
19–0

14
1912
Columbus
Michigan
14–0

15
1918
Columbus
Michigan
14–0

16
1919
Ann Arbor
Ohio State
13–3

17
1920
Columbus
Ohio State
14–7

18
1921
Ann Arbor
Ohio State
14–0

19
1922
Columbus
Michigan
19–0

20
1923
Ann Arbor
Michigan
23–0

21
1924
Columbus
Michigan
16–6

22
1925
Ann Arbor
Michigan
10–0

23
1926
Columbus
Michigan
17–16

24
1927
Ann Arbor
Michigan
21–0

25
1928
Columbus
Ohio State
19–7

26
1929
Ann Arbor
Ohio State
7–0

27
1930
Columbus
Michigan
13–0

28
1931
Ann Arbor
Ohio State
7–0

29
1932
Columbus
Michigan
14–10

30
1933
Ann Arbor
Michigan
13–0

31
1934
Columbus
Ohio State
34–0

32
1935
Ann Arbor
Ohio State
38–0

33
1936
Columbus
Ohio State (#18)
21–0

34
1937
Ann Arbor
Ohio State (#19)
21–0

35
1938
Columbus
Michigan (#17)
18–0

36
1939
Ann Arbor
Michigan
21–14

37
1940
Columbus
Michigan (#7)
40–0

38
1941
Ann Arbor
Tie
20–20

39
1942
Columbus
Ohio State (#5)
21–7

40
1943
Ann Arbor
Michigan (#4)
45–7

41
1944
Columbus
Ohio State (#3)
18–14

42
1945
Ann Arbor
Michigan (#8)
7–3

43
1946
Columbus
Michigan (#8)
58–6

44
1947
Ann Arbor
Michigan (#1)
21–0

45
1948
Columbus
Michigan (#1)
13–3

46
1949
Ann Arbor
Tie
7–7

47
1950
Columbus
Michigan
9–3

48
1951
Ann Arbor
Michigan
7–0

49
1952
Columbus
Ohio State
27–7

50
1953
Ann Arbor
Michigan
20–0

51
1954
Columbus
Ohio State (#1)
21–7

52
1955
Ann Arbor
Ohio State (#9)
17–0

53
1956
Columbus
Michigan (#9)
19–0

54
1957
Ann Arbor
Ohio State (#3)
31–14

55
1958
Columbus
Ohio State (#11)
20–14

56
1959
Ann Arbor
Michigan
23–14

57
1960
Columbus
Ohio State (#10)
7–0

58
1961
Ann Arbor
Ohio State (#2)
50–20

No.
Date
Location
Winner
Score

59
1962
Columbus
Ohio State
28–0

60
1963
Ann Arbor
Ohio State
14–10

61
1964
Columbus
Michigan (#6)
10–0

62
1965
Ann Arbor
Ohio State
9–7

63
1966
Columbus
Michigan
17–3

64
1967
Ann Arbor
Ohio State
24–14

65
1968
Columbus
Ohio State (#2)
50–14

66
1969
Ann Arbor
Michigan (#12)
24–12

67
1970
Columbus
Ohio State (#5)
20–9

68
1971
Ann Arbor
Michigan (#3)
10–7

69
1972
Columbus
Ohio State (#9)
14–11

70
1973
Ann Arbor
Tie
10–10

71
1974
Columbus
Ohio State (#4)
12–10

72
1975
Ann Arbor
Ohio State (#1)
21–14

73
1976
Columbus
Michigan (#4)
22–0

74
1977
Ann Arbor
Michigan (#5)
14–6

75
1978
Columbus
Michigan (#6)
14–3

76
1979
Ann Arbor
Ohio State (#2)
18–15

77
1980
Columbus
Michigan (#10)
9–3

78
1981
Ann Arbor
Ohio State
14–9

79
1982
Columbus
Ohio State
24–14

80
1983
Ann Arbor
Michigan (#8)
24–21

81
1984
Columbus
Ohio State (#11)
21–6

82
1985
Ann Arbor
Michigan (#6)
27–17

83
1986
Columbus
Michigan (#6)
26–24

84
1987
Ann Arbor
Ohio State
23–20

85
1988
Columbus
Michigan (#12)
34–31

86
1989
Ann Arbor
Michigan (#3)
28–18

87
1990
Columbus
Michigan (#15)
16–13

88
1991
Ann Arbor
Michigan (#4)
31–3

89
1992
Columbus
Tie
13–13

90
1993
Ann Arbor
Michigan
28–0

91
1994
Columbus
Ohio State (#22)
22–6

92
1995
Ann Arbor
Michigan (#18)
31–23

93
1996
Columbus
Michigan (#21)
13–9

94
1997
Ann Arbor
Michigan (#1)
20–14

95
1998
Columbus
Ohio State (#7)
31–16

96
1999
Ann Arbor
Michigan (#10)
24–17

97
2000
Columbus
Michigan (#19)
38–26

98
2001
Ann Arbor
Ohio State
26–20

99
2002
Columbus
Ohio State (#2)
14–9

100
2003
Ann Arbor
Michigan (#5)
35–21

101
2004
Columbus
Ohio State
37–21

102
2005
Ann Arbor
Ohio State (#9)
25–21

103
2006
Columbus
Ohio State (#1)
42–39

104
2007
Ann Arbor
Ohio State (#7)
14–3

105
2008
Columbus
Ohio State (#10)
42–7

106
2009
Ann Arbor
Ohio State (#9)
21–10

107
2010[1]
Columbus
Ohio State (#12)
37–7

108
2011
Ann Arbor
Michigan (#15)
40–34

109
2012
Columbus
Ohio State (#4)
26–21

110
2013
Ann Arbor
Ohio State (#3)
42–41

111
2014
Columbus
Ohio State (#6)
42–28

112
2015
Ann Arbor
Ohio State (#8)
42–13

113
2016
Columbus
Ohio State (#2)
30–272OT

114
2017
Ann Arbor
Ohio State (#9)
31–20

115
2018
Columbus

Series: Michigan leads 58–49–6

text: Big Ten games[edit]

text: In Big Ten Conference play, Ohio State leads the series 49–46–4 through the 2017 meeting.[44][45] Michigan was a charter member of the Big Ten in 1896 before leaving the league after the 1906 football season. Ohio State began league play with the 1913 season, and Michigan returned for the 1917 season.[46] The 1918 matchup between the two schools was the first between them with both as Big Ten members.

text: Notes[edit]

text: ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g Ohio State has vacated all 12 of its victories and its Big Ten Conference championship from the 2010 season. These 12 wins are not included in Ohio State's all-time record, nor is the 2010 Michigan–Ohio State contest counted in the series record between the two teams.[1][2] See Wikipedia:WikiProject College football/Vacated victories for an explanation of how vacated victories are recorded.[3][4][5]


document_title: Letter box

question_text: what is the red thing on mailboxes for

question_tokens: what is the red thing on mailboxes for

root

text: Letter box

text: Styles and usage[edit]

text: A "letter box", or "mail slot" in American and Canadian usage, is a slot, usually horizontal but sometimes vertical, about 30 cm by 5 cm (12 inches by 2 inches), cut through the middle or lower half of a front door. This style is almost universal in British homes and offices, but in the US is limited primarily to older neighborhoods in a few eastern cities. Most are covered by a flap or seal on the outside for weatherproofing. The flap may be closed by gravity, or sprung to prevent it opening and closing noisily in the wind. Some letterboxes also have a second flap on the inside to provide further protection from the elements. There may also be a small cage or box mounted on the inside of the door to receive the delivered mail. Mail slots are limited to receiving incoming mail, as most have no provision for securing and protecting outgoing mail for pickup by the mail carrier. (Sending mail from private addresses is not possible in the UK in any case, since the Royal Mail does not provide such a service.)

tag: p

text: Wall-mounted or attached mailboxes may also be used in place of mail slots, usually located close to the front door of the residence. They are known as "full-service" mailboxes when they have provisions for securing outgoing as well as incoming mail. Attached wall-mounted mailboxes are still used in older urban and suburban neighbourhoods in North America. They are especially common in urban and suburban areas of Canada, where the curbside mailbox is rarely seen except in rural areas. Attached mailboxes are less common in newer urban and suburban developments and in rural areas of the United States, where curbside delivery or delivery to a community mail station (cluster mailbox, known as a bank of post boxes in the UK) is generally used.

text: Rural and some suburban areas of North America may utilize curbside mailboxes, also known as rural mailboxes. These receptacles generally consist of a large metal box mounted on a support designed primarily to receive large quantities of incoming mail, often with an attached flag to signal the presence of outgoing mail to the mail carrier. In the US and Canada, rural curbside mailboxes may be found grouped together at property boundaries or road/driveway intersections, depending upon conditions. Although the United States Postal Service (USPS) has general regulations stating the distance a letter box may be from the road surface, these requirements may be changed by the local postmaster according to local environment and road conditions.[1]

text: At one time, nearly 843,000 rural Canadian residents used rural (curbside) mailboxes for private mail delivery, though Canada Post has since required the installation of community mailbox stations for many rural residents.[2]

text: In the US, wall-mounted or curbside mailboxes that are only designed for receiving incoming mail are known as "limited-service" mailboxes, while mailboxes equipped with a mechanism for notifying the postman to collect outgoing mail from the mailbox are known as "full service" mailboxes.

text: A number of designs of letterboxes and mailboxes have been patented, particularly in the United States. One design was the visible mailbox (because it was made of transparent glass) with a flip-up aluminium lid produced during the first part of the 20th century by George F. Collins of the Barlet-Collins Glass Company in Sapulpa, Oklahoma.[3][4]

text: Letter box standards and construction[edit]

text: Europe[edit]

text: This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (May 2017) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

tag: table

text: The neutrality of this section is disputed. Relevant discussion may be found on the talk page. Please do not remove this message until conditions to do so are met. (May 2017) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

text: The European standard for letter boxes, EN 13724:2002 "Postal services – Apertures of private letter boxes and letter plates – Requirements and test methods", replaces earlier national standards such as BS 2911:1974 "Specification for letter plates" or DIN 32617. It specifies among other things:

text:
Envelope size C4 (229 mm × 324 mm) must be deliverable without bending or damage
The internal volume must able to hold at least a 40 mm high bundle of C4 envelopes
Aperture width of either 230–280 mm (> C4 width) or 325–400 mm (> C4 height)
Aperture height of 30–35 mm
Mounting height of between 0.7 and 1.7 m for the aperture
When positioned externally, the post box should not allow more than 1% total capacity water ingress from natural precipitation or moisture causes.
Various privacy, theft-protection, vandalism resistance and corrosion-resistance test requirements

tag: ul

text: This Standard is voluntary. It was developed by a German mail boxes manufacturer Burg Wächter and it reflects this manufacturer's technical capability and commercial interests with a number of the specifications unfounded, for example, aperture dimensions or internal volume, while the vital issues of security, energy saving, and environmental issues of a property and the occupants are not addressed in the Standard.

text: Although the Standard was due for a review after 5 years in 2007, this did not happen. In April 2013 the amended Standard BS EN 13724:2013 was finally published, however, again it was drafted by the same company and is nearly word-for-word copy of the old EN 13724:2002 Standard. The essential amendments (especially important for the UK) were not included again and the interests of security, energy saving and wellbeing of the public were not addressed.

text: Canada[edit]

text: For those neighbourhoods where mail delivery to a mail slot is still provided, mail slots must have an opening not less than 17.5 cm by 4 cm, and must be located in a front door or adjacent panel not more than 125 cm and not less than 60 cm from the finished floor line.[5] Wall-mounted mailboxes equipped with a slot must have a slot opening measurement not less than 13.5 cm by 4 cm and the slot located on or near the top of the box.[5]

text: Curbside mailboxes, known in Canada as rural mailboxes, must be weatherproof, have space for the name of the mailbox owner, and possess a signal device on the right-hand side (when facing the front of the mailbox) for pickup of outgoing mail.[5] The signal device must rise above the mailbox and be visible at a distance, and must not obscure the mailbox owner's name or impede vehicular or pedestrian traffic.[5] Canada Post requires all rural mailboxes to have a minimum interior dimensions of 45 cm in length by 17.5 cm in width by 17.5 cm in height for a rectangular mailbox, and 45 cm in length by 25 cm in diameter in the case of a cylindrical mailbox.[5]

text: United States[edit]

text: The US Post Office has established guidelines for mail recipients, including mail slot or mailbox size, location, and identification requirements.[1][6] While the Post Office permitted alternative designs for attached mailboxes and mail slots that met basic size and construction requirements, the same was not true for curbside mailboxes, which postal regulations required be in the form of the traditional dome-rectangular or 'tunnel-top' design first established in 1915.  In 1978, seven years after the establishment of the restructured US Postal Service, postal authorities at last approved a "contemporary" mailbox specification for alternative designs.

text: Currently, US curbside mailboxes are classified as (T) Traditional, (C) Contemporary, or (L) Locking.[7] Traditional or Contemporary non-locking curbside mailboxes are approved in three sizes - No. 1, No. 2, or No. 3, measured by minimum interior dimensions.[7] The largest acceptable curbside mailbox is the No. 3, which measures 22.81 inches long, 11 inches wide, and 15 inches in height (58 cm x 28 cm x 38 cm) at the peak.[7] Locking mailbox designs that provide security for the recipient's incoming mail have fewer restrictions on shape and size, though designs with a slot for incoming mail must be at least 1.75 inches high by 10 inches wide.[7] Residential locking mailboxes cannot require the postal carrier to have a key, by USPS Specifications.[8]  Therefore, no USPS approved residential locking mailbox has secure outgoing mail. Installation requirements vary from standard unlocked mailboxes: with locking mailboxes, the incoming mail slot must be 41"-45" above the roadside surface, and the front of the mailbox must be 6"-8" back from the curb.[9]  USPS specifications for all mailboxes mandate the same, except the placement of the 'incoming mail area' varies with a locking mailbox.[10]

text: Environmental conditions[edit]

text: External or curbside letter boxes are not temperature-controlled, and this can sometimes be a concern for temperature-sensitive products such as pharmaceuticals, live plants or other organisms, or chocolate candies. Conditions can include high or low temperatures outside of the recommended storage conditions for certain products. For example, the USFDA found that the temperature in a steel mailbox painted black could reach 136 °F (58 °C) in full sun while the ambient air temperature was 101 °F (38 °C).[11]

text: Security[edit]

text: There is a recommendation to have a lock on the letter box, if it is not built into a lockable door. Unlocked letter boxes are often used for identity theft, including the ordering of something valuable which is then stolen from the unlocked box. By policy, the USPS will not deliver mail to an unlocked or unsecured box which is located at a centralized mailbox installation.[12]

text: History[edit]

text: Europe[edit]

text: Private letterboxes or mail slots did not become popular in most of Europe until the mid to late 19th century, although they were used in Paris from the late 18th century.

text: In 1849, the Royal Mail first encouraged people to install letterboxes to facilitate the delivery of mail. Before then, letterboxes of a similar design had been installed in the doors and walls of post offices for people to drop off outgoing mail. An example of such a wall box (originally installed in the wall of the Wakefield Post Office) is dated 1809 and believed to be the oldest example in Britain.  It is now on display at the new Wakefield Museum.

text: North America[edit]

text: In 1863, with the creation of Free City Delivery, the US Post Office Department began delivering mail to home addresses.

text: Until 1916, mail carriers knocked on the door and waited patiently for someone to answer.[13] Efficiency experts estimated that each mailman lost over 1.5 hours each day just waiting for patrons to come to the door.[14] To correct this problem, the Post Office Department ordered that every household must have a mail box or letter slot in order to receive mail.[13] This requirement was phased in, starting with new delivery locations, around 1912.[15]:20 Slowly, homeowners and businesses began to install mail slots or attached mailboxes to receive mail when they were either not at home or unable to answer the door. The requirement was made mandatory in 1923.[15]:21

text: As early as the 1880s, the Post Office had begun to encourage homeowners to attach wall-mounted mailboxes to the outside of their houses in lieu of mail slots. Mounted at the height of a standing man, attached mailboxes did not require the mail carrier to lean over to deposit the mail. They also allowed the homeowner to keep outgoing mail dry while awaiting pickup by the mail carrier.[13]

text: To reduce the time required for the mail carrier to complete delivery when the front door of a home was located some distance from the street, it was proposed that individual mail boxes for residential or business customers be mounted curbside on fence-posts, lamp-posts, or other supports. While this idea was rejected for city mail delivery, it was adopted for rural areas. Curbside mailboxes located on a rural route or road and sited at the intersection of the road with each recipient's carriageway or private drive allowed limited numbers of mail carriers to deliver mail to many widely scattered farms and ranches in a single day using horse-drawn wagons or later on, motor vehicles.

text: Before the introduction of rural free delivery (RFD) by the Post Office in 1896,[16] and in Canada in 1908,[17] many rural residents had no access to the mail unless they collected it at a post office located many miles from their homes or hired a private express company to deliver it. For this reason, mailboxes did not become popular in rural North America until curbside RFD mail delivery by the Post Office was an established service. Even then, farmers and rural homeowners at first resisted the purchase of dedicated mailboxes, preferring to leave empty bushel baskets, tin boxes, or wooden crates at the roadside for the postman to deposit their mail.[14][16] Not until 1923 did the Post Office finally mandate that every household install a mailbox or mail slot in order to receive home delivery of mail.[14]

text: Originally designed only for incoming mail delivery, curbside mailboxes were soon fitted with a semaphore or signal flag mounted on an attached arm to signal the postman to pickup outgoing mail.[16] Originally, this flag was raised not only by the resident of the property to signal the postman of outgoing mail, but also by the postman to inform the recipient that incoming mail had been delivered - a convenience to all during periods of freezing or inclement weather.[18][19]

text: Since 1923, in order to promote uniformity, as well as the convenient and rapid delivery of the mail, the United States Post Office Department (later the USPS) has continued to retain authority to approve the size and other characteristics of all mail receptacles, whether mailboxes or mail slots, for use in delivery of the mails. The USPS continues to issue specifications for curbside mailbox construction for use by manufacturers. Approved mailboxes from the latter are always stamped "U.S. Mail" and "Approved by the Postmaster General". These standards have resulted in limitations on product diversity and design, though new materials, shapes, and features have appeared in recent years.[1][20][7][21]

text: After World War II, postwar suburban home construction expanded dramatically in the United States, along with mail volume. By the 1960s, many new suburban homes were considerably larger and located on larger lots, yet most still used mail slots or attached wall-mounted mailboxes. This development caused a substantial increase in distances walked by the mail carrier, slowing mail delivery while increasing labor costs.  In order to reduce delivery times and increase efficiency, the Post Office began requiring all new suburban developments to install curbside mailboxes in place of door-to-door delivery, allowing mail carriers to remain in the vehicle while delivering the mail. In 1978, the USPS (successor to the Post Office) declared that every new development must have either curbside delivery or centralized mail delivery.

text: Joroleman mailbox[edit]

text: In 1915, the familiar curbside Joroleman mailbox, named after its designer,  Post Office employee Roy J. Joroleman, was approved by the Post Office.[16] Joroleman, who held a degree in mechanical engineering, designed his mailbox with an unusual dome-rectangular shape, incorporating a curved, tunnel-shaped roof, latching door, and rotating semaphore flag.[16][20][22] The Joroleman mailbox has been praised as a manifestation of American functionalist industrial design.[citation needed]

text: Constructed of light-gauge painted sheet steel, Joroleman designed his mailbox with an arched, tunnel-shape roof, which prevented excessive accumulation of rainwater or snow while resisting deformation. The tunnel top also simplified the process of mass production by eliminating the need for precise sheet metal bends. Stamped and formed metal straps riveted to the arched opening and the mailbox door served as a door latching mechanism, while a rotating red semaphore flag mounted on a shaft attached to the side of the mailbox served to signal the approaching mailman if there was outgoing mail inside. Fitted with a crimped or braze-on rear steel panel and a false floor to keep its contents dry in inclement or humid weather, the Joroleman mailbox required only two rivets, three axle bolts, and four screws and nuts for completion. Durable and inexpensive, the popularity of the Joroleman mailbox was further enhanced by a decision not to patent the design, but to make its specifications known to all potential manufacturers for competitive sale.[16] Adopted across the United States, it has remained the top-selling mailbox since its introduction, and was also widely used in Canada prior to that country's decision to eliminate individual curbside delivery to rural residents.

text: The Joroleman mailbox was originally approved for manufacture in one size, the No. 1, which could accommodate letter mail, periodicals, newspapers, catalogs, and small parcels.[16] After July 1, 1916, the Joroleman mailbox would be the only design approved by the Post Office for new curbside mailbox installations. In July 1929, the Post Office approved specifications for a larger Joroleman mailbox known as the No. 2.[16] The No. 2 mailbox, soon followed by the still-larger No. 3, could accept larger parcels and packages sent via Parcel Post; these large boxes proved particularly popular with rural mail recipients, who could order manufactured goods by mail for delivery to the farm or ranch.[16]

text:
Joroleman curbside mailbox with red semaphore flag. When raised, the flag indicates outgoing mail.

An oversize rural Joroleman mailbox in southern Nebraska, featuring a red semaphore arm

Close up of a Joroleman mailbox door with latch in Washington State

text: South America[edit]

text: On the Galápagos Islands, Ecuador, a post barrel on the island Floreana has been in use for a number of years, for both incoming and outgoing mail. The island is remote; mail delivery is erratic and can be very slow.[23]

text: Recent developments[edit]

text: Europe[edit]

text: Sweden[edit]

text: KopparStaden AB, a housing cooperative in Falun, Sweden, has begun to install centralized mail stations with individual letterboxes using electronically operated doors in its buildings.[24]

text: United Kingdom[edit]

text: This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (March 2016)

text: United States[edit]

text: Numerous designs of mailboxes with improved construction and security have been patented in recent years, particularly in the United States.[25] In 2001, the USPS first approved designs for locking curbside mailboxes to stem a rise in identity and mail theft.[1] With these secure designs, the incoming mail is placed into a slot or hopper by the mail carrier, where it drops into a secure locked compartment for retrieval by only the homeowner (who retains a key or combination to the lock). Locking mailboxes are generally constructed of heavy-gauge steel or aluminum plate, though some models are made of roto-moulded polymer plastic.[20]

text: Because of the increased risk of vandalism to curbside mailboxes, numerous vandal-resistant boxes made of composite plastic or heavy-gauge steel or aluminum plate have also entered the market. Some composite mailboxes made of resilient polymer plastics and mounted on ground spikes can resist severe impacts from baseball bats or even being run over by a vehicle.[20]

text: In 1978, steady increases in postal service costs caused the USPS to insist on either curbside or centralized mail delivery for new suburban neighborhoods and developments.[26][27] A 1995 cost delivery study published in a USPS Operations handbook listed per-address annual delivery costs as: Door-to-door, $243; Curbside, $154; Cluster Box (centralized mail delivery), $106.[28][29]

text: With centralized mail delivery, a central community mail station consisting of multiple mailboxes is located within or near a building or in a particular neighborhood. Known variously as group mailboxes, cluster mailboxes, or community mail stations, these mailboxes are often used in newer construction in place of door-to-door or curbside mailbox delivery.

text: Large apartment buildings usually have a cluster of mailboxes for all units, located in the entry lobby or in a nearby dedicated mailroom. There often is a special lock box (also called a "key keeper" or "Knox box") located at the outside entrance, which either gives access to a front door key or directly activates the front door electric strike, to allow the mail delivery person to enter the building.  A similar "Arrow lock" is usually located on the centralized mailbox, to allow the entire unit to be opened for efficient filling of individual mailboxes.[21]

text: In the US, a property with a single mailing address but with multiple mail recipients may utilize a community mail station designated CBU, or Cluster Box Unit. CBUs are typically stand-alone units that have locked individual compartments for each tenant in an apartment building, a trailer or mobile home park, or an office center.

text: By policy, the USPS is reluctant to establish direct to door delivery to new addresses, and now requires special approvals to initiate this service (Postal Operations Manual, Section 631.2) Instead, the USPS has insisted upon centralized mail delivery in virtually all newly constructed residential housing developments, condominiums, and gated communities by requiring or incentivizing the builder or developer to install larger NDCBU (Neighborhood Delivery Collection Box Unit) stations. CBUs and NDCBUs are both commonly known as cluster mailboxes.  The NDCBU is a centralized community mail station with compartments for the centralized delivery of mail to multiple recipients at multiple addresses within a single neighborhood development or community.[30]

text: In new housing developments, the NDCBU location is fixed by the developer, not the USPS, and may be located hundreds of yards away from the addressee's actual residence.[31][32] A parcel locker for receipt of packages and a separate compartment for outgoing mail are usually built into the station.[33] The mail carrier will have a key to a large door on one side that reaches all the compartments, and the residents or tenants will each have a key to the door into their individual compartment on the other side.

text: The location of the NDCBU in a community or business center is extremely important, since neighborhood cluster box installations located in remote or poorly lighted areas invite large-scale mail theft or vandalism.[32][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41] Even when located in a high-traffic location or inside a gated community, the NDCBU is a tempting target for thieves attracted by the possibility of recovering checks, cash, identifying information, or other valuables from multiple victims.[30][32][34][36][38][39][42][43] A 2008 RAND Corporation study, citing USPS statistics collected between 2004 and 2007, found that NDCBU thefts constituted 52.7% of all urban neighborhood mail thefts and 76.6% of all rural neighborhood mail thefts from locations with more than one mailbox, with higher-income ZIP code zones having a substantially higher number of thefts than low-income ZIP code zones.[44]

text: Canada[edit]

text: In Canada, community mailboxes (or Supermailboxes) appeared in the late 1980s in newer suburban areas. Newer developments usually are temporarily supplied with green rural community mail boxes and replaced later with permanent supermailboxes.

text: Since 2004, many rural Canadian residents have been required to use community mail stations (known as a Community Mail Box, or CMB) instead of individual curbside mailboxes in an attempt to reduce health and safety complaints by Canada Post rural mail carriers.[2][45] This change has been extended to some suburban areas of the country as well.[31][46][47]

text: Australia[edit]

text: Home Parcel boxes are being used in Australia to facilitate the delivery of parcels ordered over the internet as the letter box declines in use due to emails. Special locking mechanisms with dynamic codes are being used to create a new lock code on every delivery, ensuring greater security from petty theft. These lock codes are accessed by the delivery company using their barcode scanner and a standard barcode or QR code.[48]

text: Guinness World Record[edit]

text: The largest mailbox in the world is located in Casey, Illinois (US) and measures at 162.63 cubic metres (5,743 cu ft). It was created by Jim Bolin and was verified on the 20th of October 2015.[49]

text: Gallery[edit]

text:
A fantastical mailbox designed by Frederick C. Sauer around 1930 in the Sauer Buildings Historic District in Aspinwall, Pennsylvania

Mailbox of Casa de l'Ardiaca, Barcelona, Catalonia, by Lluís Domènech i Montaner