The historical uses of messages in a bottle goes far back into history. The earliest record of someone sending a message in a bottle is around 310 BC, when Greek Philosopher Theophrastus dropped a sealed bottle into the Mediterranean. He was trying to prove that the inland body of water was formed by the inflow of the Atlantic. He would never know the answer to this in his lifetime, or at least, there is no record of any response. For us, the information we do have leaves a wealth of information, by giving us the knowledge that a bottle was used for messages a very long time ago.
Queen Elizabeth's message in bottles,
Queen Elizabeth I, who reigned in the 16th century, had a vessel for her messages, which were dropped into the ocean. At the time Queen Elizabeth used this method of communicating with spies as well as with the British fleet and bottles might have contained secret messages. Elizabeth went a little further in her endeavors to have the privacy of her messages kept secret by appointing someone to be the official "Uncorker of Ocean Bottles". She made it a capital crime, punishable by death for anyone else to open bottles. It is not recorded if this was an effective way to send or receive messages at that time.
Sailors and Passengers ,
Sailors or passengers became very proficient at dropping bottles with messages into the ocean. There are recounts by some that say, either 1780 or as early as 1714, (It is not known for sure); a man by the name of Chunosuke Matsuyama decided to go treasure hunting in the Pacific. His crew of 44, and himself, got shipwrecked on an small island in the South Pacific and knowing that there wasn't much hope of rescue, with no fresh water or food, they scratched their story unto a piece of wood, which they sealed in a bottle and dropped into the ocean. Amazingly this bottle was found 150 years later on the shores of Japan and more extraordinary than this, it is said, that it was found on the same beach where Matsuyama grew up.
Grand Turk messages,
To prove that messages is certainly not a new phenomenon there are records that in January 4th, 1861 the contents of two messages in a bottle were discussed in consular papers. One was dated August 30th, 1860 and was found at Little Bluff, Grand Turk on december2nd, 1860. The other message was dated November 6th, 1860 and found on December 31st, 1860 on the eastern side of Grand Turk.
Messages used since Elizabethans times,
Many messages in bottles have been found over time that proves the tradition had been continued from the Elizabethan times. Bottles were found on February 16th, 1861 with information to keep the British Navy informed of the ships that were on the ocean.
Message in a bottle from Lusitania,
The history of the message in a bottle stretches over time but probably the most touching messages of all was found from the sinking of the Lusitania, in May of 1915. It is reported that the message said "Still on deck with few people. The last boats have left. We are sinking fast. Some men near me are praying with a priest. The end is near. Maybe this note will.." there was an abrupt end to this note so we can only assume what terror was taking place on this ship. There are a few different variations of the note and it is said that the bottle was picked up on a beach or by a fisherman.
Bottles used in the war,
In 1946 bottles were used to determine where Japanese mines would be after coming loose during a storm. Through the years captains of ships have used the method of messages in a bottle to determine of understanding the currents and to allow them to predict which way the harvest of fish and marine life are. This can be very helpful with an endangered species. They also use the information of the drift current to allow them to blow the tubes which is filled with oil, so that it will have as little of impact on marine life as possible.
Evelyn Baldwin message,
There was also another message found in 1948 by a Russian fisherman. The message read" Five ponies and 150 dogs remain. Desire hay, fish and thirty sledges. Must return early in August. Baldwin". This message was written in both English and Norwegian. It is thought that the explorer Evelyn Baldwin sent this message in 1902 but he returned, alive and well, from his explorations of the polar.
Marion Lightbody message,
In 1997 there were two visitors on the Grand Turk, Ted and Vivienne Cooper, who told a story of a message in a bottle that, was sent by Ted's Grandfather, Ralph Rogers in April, 1894 when he was traveling on the "Marion Lightbody" with a friend. Ralph dropped a message in a bottle, just North of Cape Verde. The message was addressed to his family, with the request that when it was found it would be forwarded to them. Ralph had plans on writing everyone in his family. The message was found on Grand Turk and forwarded on December 29th, 1895. It was received in Glasgow on January 16th, 1896. The family in Australia still holds this message.
Summary,
There have been movies made based on a message in a bottle and in today's modern world there is even a web site where you can send a message in a bottle into cyberspace. NASA sent a message on Voyager 1 but it was on a gold plated disc and contained many different languages, sounds and images of earth. It is a long way from 310 BC. There is a part of us, when we roam a beach, that we will be the one to find a bottle with a message inside and it is very possible that we will as today we use the message in the bottle for fun but can you imagine finding the disc that NASA sent up on another planet with someone that is strolling on their beach. It lets your imagination soar as high as the Voyager 1.