Nikola Tesla to Samuel Kintner
I was glad that you did not put the matter before Mr Merrick for I found after careful thought and figuring that it would take much more money to carry out my proposal which I made to you on the spur of the moment stimulated by the pleasure of our meeting and your warm response.
Yoko Ono Lennon to Parole Board
This is my reply to the petition of parole made by Mark David Chapman from here on called "the subject." It is not easy for me to write this letter to you since it is still painful for me to think of what happened that night and verbalise my thoughts logically.
Henry O. Flipper to John Hull
In 1877 Henry Ossian Flipper became the first African American to graduate from the US Military Academy at West Point. He was also the first African American commissioned officer in the US Army. Despite being found not guilty of embezzlement at trial, an attempt to hide a shortfall in funds in 1881 saw him dismissed from the Army for 'conduct unbecoming an officer & gentleman'. He fought tirelessly to clear his name until his death in 1940.
King Henry VIII to Anne Boleyn
This letter comes from the hand of King Henry VIII in 1527 that he wrote (the first part of which was written in English, the second in French) to the second of his six wives, Anne Boleyn. At this point, Henry was reluctantly still married to his wife of 18 years, Catherine of Aragon, and still without the son he so desperately wanted. He doggedly pursued Boleyn, who awaited the annulment of his first marriage. In 1533, they married. In 1536, Anne Boleyn was beheaded.
Gene Roddenberry to Star Trek Fans
The following stirring open letter was written by Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry in 1980, and was essentially a rare public endorsement of the then-newly formed Planetary Society, an organisation started as a means to support the exploration of the Solar System and search for extraterrestrial life. Founded by Carl Sagan, Bruce Murray and Louis Friedman in 1980, the organisation famously saved SETI from cancellation just a year later.
George Washington to His Nephew
On November 9th, 1787, less than two months after presiding over its creation, George Washington wrote the following powerful letter to his nephew in which he convincingly backed the United States Constitution.
Francis Coppola to Marlon Brando
I heard you were back from the South Pacific; but I didn't want to call you because I always feel stupid bringing up the matter of the Godfather.
Frank Sinatra on George Michael
"When I saw your Calendar cover today about George Michael, "the reluctant pop star," my first reaction was he should thank the good Lord every morning when he wakes up to have all that he has.And that'll make two of us thanking God every morning for all that we have."
Jack Kerouac to Marlon Brando
I'm praying that you'll buy ON THE ROAD and make a movie of it. Don't worry about the structure, I know to compress and re-arrange the plot a bit to give perfectly acceptable movie-type structure
Eisenhower to the Troops
On the evening of June 5th, 1944, just hours prior to the D-day landings in Normandy, copies of the letter seen below - Eisenhower's Order of the Day - were distributed to members of the allied forces.
Nikita Khrushchev to Fidel Castro
Soviet missiles were stationed in Cuba in the 50s and 60s as the result of the secret mutual security pact between Cuba and USSR.
Walt Disney to Mrs Davis
On October 16, 1923, just hours after striking a distribution deal with M. J. Winkler, the near-penniless brothers Walt and Roy formed the company we now know as Disney.
Lord Byron to Caroline Lamb
Celebrated English writer, Lord Byron, was one of England's most notorious womanizers. A world-famous poet by the age of 24, he had an extremely passionate affair with Lady Caroline Lamb.
J. R. R. Tolkien to a Fan
Due to his obvious love of language, it's unsurprising that J. R. R. Tolkien was an avid letter writer – almost as unsurprising as the moment one sees his artistic, near-calligraphic handwriting for the first time.
Napoleon to Josephine
Napoleon Bonaparte, the French Emperor and a strong military leader, was a very prolific writer of letters. Some estimate he wrote over 75,000 letters during his lifetime. Following letter was written to his wife Josephine during his campaign against
Issue Dated: Feb 5, 2017
