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Letter writing has played a significant part in human history throughout the centuries, from ancient India and Egypt, through to Rome, Greece and China, up until the present day.

While it may be much easier now to communicate through a text message or social media, letters have played a significant role in society and can provide us with a unique window into the past.

����ý Bitesize takes a look at some game-changing letters from across the ages.

The first letter: Queen Atossa of Persia

Letter writing began in the ancient world, when high-ranking officials and literate individuals from across the nations needed to communicate with one another between distances. It is speculated amongst some scholars that letter writing may have originated in Persia and that letters were primarily used to issue short messages or notes.

The ancient historian Hellanicus credited Queen Atossa of Persia for inventing letter writing in 500BC, when she was about 50 years old.

Born in approximately 550BC, Atossa was the eldest daughter of Cyrus the Great, the founder of the Achaemenid Empire, the first Persian empire. She is acknowledged as a figure of considerable interest amongst academics of historic times and was described by the archaeologist Sir John Linton Myres as “the power behind the throne”.

While Atossa’s letter hasn’t survived, the legacy of writing to communicate still remains.

The beginnings of the evolutionary theory as we know it: Charles Darwin

A prolific letter writer, Charles Darwin’s correspondence has been well-documented and over 15,000 known letters that he either wrote or received have been archived.

Academics believe that throughout his working life, Darwin used letters as a way of both discussing ideas and gathering the research that he used to develop and support his theories.

In January 1844, Charles Darwin authored a letter to one of his closest friends, the botanist and explorer Joseph Dalton Hooker which formed the basis of thenatural selection theory.

In perhaps his most famous letter he wrote, “At last gleams of light have come, & I am almost convinced (quite contrary to opinion I started with) that species are not immutable." He later semi-jokingly compares his revelation as to being “like confessing a murder”, as his research contradicted long-held religious beliefs in society at the time.

Fifteen years later, Darwin’s On the Origin of Species was published and is now widely acknowledged to be the foundation of evolutionary theory.

Letters for liberation: Nelson Mandela

At the age of 44, the lawyer and African National Congress activist, Nelson Mandela was sentenced to 27 years in prison amidst the backdrop of South Africa’s apartheid.

During his 10,052 day incarceration, he wrote an emotional letter to his daughters, Zeni and Zindzi on 23 June 1969. The letter described the arrest and detainment of Mandela's wife and mother of his daughters, Winnie Madikizela Mandela.

He opens with, “My darlings, Once again our beloved mummy has been arrested and now she and daddy are away in jail.”

Mandela goes on to explain that this is not the first time Winnie has gone to jail. In fact, on October 1958, only four months after their wedding, Winnie was arrested alongside 2,000 other women, when she protested against passes in Johannesburg.

He concludes the letter by asking his children to think carefully about the 'unpleasant experiences' that their mother had gone through and 'the stubbornness with which she has held to her beliefs'.

"Then you will begin to realise the importance of her contribution in the battle for truth and justice…”

When Nelson left prison he continued to campaign for peace and in 1994, at the age of 77, he became the first black President of South Africa.

Campaigning for change: Marcus Rashford

In 2020, Manchester United and England forward Marcus Rashford penned an open letter asking the government to change its mind about not carrying on with free school meal vouchers during the summer holidays.

In the letter, Rashford praises the kindness and generosity of the community he had around him, without which "there wouldn't be the Marcus Rashford you see today: a 22-year-old black man lucky enough to make a career playing a game I love.”

He speaks candidly about his family's reliance on breakfast clubs, free school meals and the help of neighbours and coaches growing up.

“This is not about politics; this is about humanity," Rashford said. "Can we not all agree that no child should be going to bed hungry?”

Following his letter, the government announced a £120m Covid summer food fund for 1.3 million pupils in England.

During lockdown Rashford teamed up with the charity FareShare to raise more than £20m in a bid to fight hunger and food waste.

This article was published in October 2022