Currently, with a click of a button, you can communicate with any person you wish in any part of the world. This state of affairs is possible due to the evolution of technology. In spite of the advancement of communication technology, there are specific forms of traditional communication that can’t go away quickly.
One of them is a message in bottle communication. This article focuses on the historical perspective of the message in bottle communication and its significance.
What is a message in bottle communication?
This is a type of communication that entails writing a message on a piece of paper, inserting it into a bottle which you seal and toss it into a water body, for example, the ocean. People use this form of communication for various reasons, including scientific, romanticism, and historical.
Historical Perspective
Scientifically, the message in the bottle is used to study ocean currents. One of the ancient Greek philosophers who used this form of communication was Theophrastus at around 310BC. Theophrastus wanted to demonstrate that the Mediterranean came into being the incoming Atlantic Ocean.
Columbus was another historical figure who applied bottled messaging. When he thought that his ship could capsize due to storms, Columbus wrote a note to Queen Isabel, put it in a bottle which he tossed into the ocean. However, this message has never been found to-date.
The English Navy also applied this form of communication in the 16th Century. Through the message in the bottle, the English Navy relayed essential communication to the government. It was a crime to open such a bottle and read the content if one came across it.
Before 1903, bottles were expensive, which made the message in the bottle a costly undertaking. However, with the invention of the glass blowing the machine in 1903, containers were all over, and their price was affordable.
In 1913, Richard Platz wrote a bottled message and threw it into the Baltic. This message was discovered nearly after a century. Although the news was not significant, it had survived a period marked by various events like wars and storms.
Current usage of the message in the bottle
Many people might think that a message in the bottle is an old method that is inconsequential. However, that might not the case as this form of communication has sometimes saved many people.
In 2005, for example, 88 shipwrecked individuals were saved after putting an emergency bottled message on a long line of passing by vessel. The ship had migrants from Costa Rica.
On 11th Sept 2019, a family of three was rescued after being stuck on a waterfall. The family floated an SOS message in a bottle and tossed it to the river. Hikers found the note and raised alerted rescues who managed to help the stranded family.
message in a bottle: concept of communications and luck in contacting someone
Conclusion
Message in the bottle is one of the oldest forms of communication that has stood the test of time. Apart from its scientific significance, the message in the bottle technology can rescue people shipwrecked.
This form of communication defies other communication requirements, like network availability. The article has offered a brief overview of the history of a message in the bottle.