Interstate Commerce Commission - ICC

Waaaaay back in 1887, the United States was changing at light speed. Well, maybe not light speed, but at railroad speed for sure. And with the advent of all those new railroads, with their tracks crossing state lines right and left, there arose a need for a new kind of federal agency: one that could regulate those crazy railroads and the companies that owned and used them, as well as the states that enjoyed their presence. And thus, the International Commerce Commission, or ICC (not to be confused with the International Criminal Court, of course) was born.

As transportation technology changed, so too did the responsibilities of the ICC. They expanded from regulating the railroad world to looking after the trucking industry, the bus industry, and even certain aspects of the airline industry and telephone carrier industry. Basically, if it was used to conduct business that crossed state lines, the ICC was there.

And it had a good run: ICC regulations were all the rage in the American transportation sector for over 100 years. But in 1995, the federal government broke up the band for good. All of its functions were pretty much handled by other agencies by that point anyway, and some of the ones that were left...were no longer necessary.