How we’ve sent and received messages through the ages
AMSD: The Australian Message Stick Database (Stick); The National Archives/United Kingman (Wax Seal); iStockPhoto/Getty Images (Sheep); National Postal Museum/Smithsonian Institution (Baby); Hulton Archive/Getty Images (Computer); Shutterstock.com
60,000 B.C.
Native peoples in Australia carve or paint images onto wooden sticks to spread news of war, peace, and other important events. Messengers travel by foot to deliver them far and wide.
2000 B.C.
In the city of Babylon (in modern-day Iraq), private messages are carved into clay tablets, and then hidden under another layer of clay. To read the message, the clay cover has to be broken.
I000
In the Middle Ages, letters are often sealed with hot wax to make sure they stay closed during delivery. Wax seals have many designs, but a common one shows a knight on a horse.
I300
One of the largest postal systems, built in Asia, uses 50,000 horses, 6,700 mules, 1,500 sheep, and 200 dogs to help deliver messages.
I775
During the Revolutionary War, American colonists create the Post Office of the United States to share news and ideas—and unite the American people against British rule. (Today it’s called the U.S. Postal Service, or USPS.)
I913
The U.S. Post Office begins delivering large packages—so some parents start mailing their kids! Why? It’s much cheaper than buying a train ticket for kids visiting family far away.
I97I
A young computer scientist named Ray Tomlinson sends the first ever email—to himself. Email doesn’t take off until the 1990s, when getting an email address becomes free.
Today
The most popular way to send messages is through emails, texts, and messaging apps. But regular mail is still going strong. The USPS delivers 152 million pieces of mail each day!
Write to Win
Imagine you took a time machine to one of the time periods in the infographic. Write a one-page story explaining how you sent an urgent message to a friend. Entries must be submitted to “Mail Contest” by a teacher, parent, or legal guardian.* Three winners will each receive a $25 gift card for the Scholastic Store Online.
Contest deadline: June 1, 2025
*Entries must be written by a student in grades 2-8 and submitted by their teacher, parent, or legal guardian, who will be the entrant and must be a legal resident of the U.S. age 18 or older. Visit the Storyworks Contests page for more information.
This infographic was originally published in the March/April 2025 issue.
1. Preparing to Read
2. Reading and Discussing the Infographic
3. Skill Building and Writing
Can't-Miss Teaching Extras
For more mail-related reading, check out “Snow Mail,” a funny poem about two cousins who are pen pals, and our May/June 2020 debate, “Should You Handwrite Thank-You Notes?”
Want to know more about America’s postal system? The USPS has you covered with its downloadable publication “A Kid’s History of the United States Postal Service.” This 40-page booklet is filled with fascinating facts, images, and activities. Or head over to the Learn section of the Smithsonian National Postal Museum website for virtual exhibitions, oral histories, curriculum guides, and more.
Take a look at this engaging 4-minute video about the Pony Express from A Kid Explains History. (Note: Video starts after short advertisements.)
