As we settle down in front of our computers for a day of work, do we ever wonder how things came to be?
Take mail, for example.
Here we are opening our email account inboxes, and hundreds of letters in electronic format come whizzing across the world and drop into our inbox, patiently awaiting our attention.
People have been delivering mail since the dawn of writing. Decrees and laws were sent out by runner, by camel and, more recently, by pigeon.
Here are some interesting facts about mail which we are pretty sure you didn’t know. (Think how smart you’ll sound sharing these little gems at your next dinner party.)
Up until 1915, it was legal to mail a baby by US Mail. Yes, a human baby. In 1914 – to save money on train fare – the Pierstorff’s paid the US Mail 53 cents in postage and mailed their 5-year old daughter to her grandparents for a visit. I guess things were … a little different back then.
Who ever said that mail clerks were dull? In 1959, someone (who remains nameless) working for the US Postal Service thought it would be simply amazing to use a cruise missile to ship the mail from Virginia to Florida. It worked. They delivered 3000 pieces of mail in a record 22 minutes. Although, we’re not terribly sure why this efficient method didn’t catch on. Can you think of a reason? Possibly the recipients didn’t enjoy the fun of putting the shreds of their letters back together. Not everyone loves a puzzle, I guess.
Did you know that junk mail companies are charged more money if you send their mail back? Yep, we’ve all signed up for a freebie here and there, but chances are you did not ask for the volumes of junk that you get in your box every week. So go on, return to sender. It’ll make you feel better.
While we’re on the subject of junk mail, Alan Ralsky, a prolific spammer who was known as the godfather of e-mail spam, was signed up for literally hundreds of pieces of junk snail mail. Irate individuals who found out his home address thought they’d return the favour. He said “They’ve signed me up for every advertising campaign and mailing list there is. These people are out of their minds. They’re harassing me.”
So now you know.
Mail can be fun and exciting. If your company is involved in mail campaigns, we know how to make them awesome. Mailmech has all the tools you need to manage your mail. Call us on 011 789-1608 or visit us at www.mailmech.co.za.