27 Historic Letters That Revealed Surprising Truths
27. Martin Luther’s 95 Theses (1517)
26. Galileo’s Letter to the Grand Duchess Christina (1615)
25. Alexander Hamilton’s “Reynolds Pamphlet” (1797)
Hamilton admitted to having an affair in an attempt to clear his name from other rumors, but the letter would only damage his professional and personal reputation.
24. Albert Einstein’s Letter to Franklin D. Roosevelt (1939)
23. Letter from a Birmingham Jail (1963)
22. Virginia Woolf’s Letter (1941)
This letter offered a deep look into the mind of the English author and her mental illness.
21. Queen Victoria’s Letter to Abdul Karim
20. Sigmund Freud’s “Cocaine Letters” (1884)
In this letter Freud postulated that cocaine could be used to cure many illnesses, a claim that he would grow to regret after witnessing its addictive properties.
Oscar Wilde wrote this impassioned letter to his lover from jail, it discussed the extravagant lifestyle that led to his imprisonment.
Emily Dickson wrote this letter asking for critique and feedback on her work, it gives us a look into the timid and reclusive poet we all know so well today.
This letter from Cleopatra to Octavian begged him to spare her children, she would later take her own life bringing an end to the Ptolemaic Dynasty in Egypt.
This letter was written before she was executed, in the letter she expressed no guilt. She accepted her fate and wrote about her love of her children.
15. Mark Twain’s “Letter from the Earth” (1909)
This satirical letter shed light on the double standards of society.
These letters are some of the oldest communications on diplomacy, in particular between Egyptian and Near Eastern rulers.
This letter rallied the troops to fight against the Spanish Armada and placed Elizabeth as a powerful and determined leader.
These letters showed the public that Diana was unsatisfied with her marriage to Prince Charles, it revealed insights into her feelings of loneliness and showed a different side to the royal family.
this letter discussed and warned against themes that would appear later in his book 1984, particularly authoritarianism and censorship.
Washington’s leadership talent was put on display in this letter calling for unity in the Continental Army.
These letters expressed empathy and compassion to the soldiers suffering the consequences of the Crimean War.
8. Edith Wharton’s Letters to Morton Fullerton (1908-1910)
The author’s letters to her friend and lover revealed a side of her life that readers did not know about
7. Franz Kafka’s Letter to His Father (1919)
This letter revealed the author’s strained relationship with his father.
These letter provide insight into the mental struggle of the famed author.
5. Katherine Mansfield’s Last Letter (1922)
this was a love letter to her husband before her death as a goodbye to her closest confidant.
4. The Monroe Doctrine Letter (1823)
James Monroe asserted that America would be off-limits to European colonization.
The final Tsar of Russia wrote this letter while his family was imprisoned, it marked the end of the Romanov dynasty..
These letters provide insight into the author’s inner beliefs, including his perspective on morality and faith.
1. The “Venona Project” Letters (1943-1980)
These letters revealed the espionage activities of Russian against the United States during the Cold War.
