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Saya Kubota, the creator of Missing Post Office.
Mitoyo, Japan

Missing Post Office

A unique art exhibit home to letters addressed to those unable to receive them.
Post Office Bay, on the island of Floreana in the Galapagos.
islands

Unusual Love Stories: Post Office Bay

Could this tradition of hand-delivering postcards all over the world lead to the perfect meet-cute?
The Podcast Team August 5, 2025
Edward Jenner's letter to John Glover Loy.
objects of intrigue

Vaccination Could Easily Have Been Called 'Equination'

A recently sold letter from medical pioneer Edward Jenner provides some insight as to why.
Matthew Taub June 24, 2021
Landlubbers discovered the stuffed-bottle surprise.
trains

Found: A Landlocked Message in a Bottle in a Detroit Train Station

More than a century ago, a couple of guys had some beer and an idea.
Jessica Leigh Hester June 14, 2021
There are tools of the trade, but letters can also be locked with careful folding alone.
manuscripts

Deter Prying Eyes by Locking Your Own Letters

A how-to for those who want to use folds, tucks, slits, and more to turn letters into little works of art.
Abigail Cain May 27, 2021
science

Cracking the Code of Letterlocking

A tale of Black Chambers, lost correspondence, and high technology.
Abigail Cain May 14, 2021
The message on display.
Sydney, Australia

The Queen's Letter

This letter written by Queen Elizabeth II in 1986 won't be opened until 2085.
Wallis turned all of this code into written sentences.
mathematics

Sold: 53 Letters Deciphered by a Groundbreaking English Codebreaker

Cagey about his methods, John Wallis was a bit of a cipher himself.
Matthew Taub October 7, 2020
Elizabeth's letter includes a sign-off Heller saw in one of Austen's own letters: Initials, and a particular spelling of the phrase, "Yours affectionately."
literature

How a Team of Calligraphers Brought Jane Austen's Fictional Letters to Life

You can now hold Mr. Darcy's dispatches in your hands.
Jessica Leigh Hester September 23, 2020
Berthold Laufer's cylinders: one row for vocals, the other for instruments.
museums

Do These Tubes Hold the Oldest Known Stereo Recordings?

In 1901, a traveling researcher recorded some Chinese opera, and accidentally made music history.
Matthew Taub July 15, 2020
"The package may be small, but you will know it does not need to hold the love I send, for that cannot be confined," Hildreth Heiney wrote to her fiancé in 1918. The man in the photograph, identified as John, may be her brother.
libraries

A Trove of Sad, Funny, and Familiar Stories From the 1918 Flu Pandemic

A UCLA librarian has built a remarkable collection of century-old letters, diaries, and photographs.
Jessica Klein May 1, 2020
Message received.
germany

Found: A Message in a Bottle That Went Clear Around the World and Back

But without a return address.
Matthew Taub March 4, 2020
Ted and Mabel Thompson bronze relief.
Loveland, Colorado

Loveland’s Sweetheart Couple

A tribute to Loveland’s most famous sweethearts, who helped spread cupid’s message to millions.
Some of the treasures found in the pilfered wallets.
churches

Found: 15 Wallets From the 1940s, Stolen and Stashed Behind a Bathroom Wall

The cash is gone, but a lot of memories remain.
Matthew Taub July 10, 2019
"Dear Dad," it's Ernest Hemingway.
literature

Sold: A Letter Where Hemingway Complains That He Sucks at Bullfighting

At least it gave him lots of material.
Matthew Taub June 13, 2019
Tecopa, California

Dumont Dunes North Pole

Peek inside this sandy mailbox and you'll spot kids' letters to Santa.
Volendam, Netherlands

Mr. Kaor's Portrait

The portrait of a man from Japan who sent weekly letters to a Dutch hotel he never visited.
Lincoln wrote to Mary Owens to break off their partnership before it even really heated up.
abraham lincoln

A Breakup Tip From Abraham Lincoln: Just Tell Her Your Town Is Terrible

In letters to his accidental fiancée, the future president painted Springfield, Illinois, as a bummer.
Jennifer Wright February 12, 2019