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600 BCE
Fifth Century
In the fifth century people used goose quill pens. Nobody has changed the 'paper." -
575 BCE
Reed
Egyptians papyrus made the ancient libraries of Alexandria and Pergamum. The Roman Emperor Clausius made a new type of cross layered which was not damaged be reed. Reed is what they used as a pencil. -
550 BCE
Plants and trees
The leaves of plants and the bark of trees advanced the use of writing. The linden tree was particularly good allowing the folding of tis bark. -
500 BCE
First recorded letter
The first recorded handwritten letter was by Persian Queen around 500 BC according to the ancient historian Hellanicus. -
Mar 15, 1300
invention of paper
A great advance in writing material came in the 14th century with the invention of paper made with linen rags. pencil made from a lead composite became a common use in the 14th century. -
Introduced the first prepaid stamp
In May 1840 Great Britain introduced the first prepaid stamp nationwide postal delivery service, with the Penny Black stamp (portrait of the young Queen Victoria) for letters under half an ounce and the Two penny Blue stamp for letters over. Other countries soon copied this later. -
delivery
In the 1840 letters were delivered by courier, couch, or a horse writer. The person who received the letter had to pay for the letter, which depended on the number of pages and how much it traveled. -
Introduced limited postal service
The United States introduced a limited postal service in August 1842 followed by a uniform five cents charge in 1845 and standardized stamps in 1847. -
Delivery to the person
People write letters on paper with a pencil or pen. They put a stamp and address and return address and the the name on the back of the envelope. They put it in a mailbox and the United States Postal Service sends it to the place that is written on the back. -
What pens were made of
The pen used in ancient times was made from wood, metal, or bone shaped to a point. They still used the same "paper." -
10th century
About the 10th century came cotton paper which was in common use by the 12th century. They still goose quill pens.