History By Mail Review September 2024

History is a story waiting to be told. With History by Mail, you become the protagonist in your own historical adventure. Each month, a piece of the past is delivered to your mailbox, inviting you to immerse yourself in a bygone era. From the thrill of unfolding a centuries-old letter to the awe of examining a significant historical document, this subscription offers a unique and enriching experience for history enthusiasts.

They kindly sent us this mailing for review.

History By Mail Subscription Details

History By Mail is a monthly subscription service for replicas of historical letters and documents. Each letter comes with a separate document explaining the context of the letter including its author, recipient, and relevance to the events of its time, as well as a transcript when necessary.

History By Mail makes an excellent gift for history buffs of all shapes and sizes.  Subscribers will receive one letter per month for 6 months! This subscription is available worldwide.

History by Mail Coupon Code: Use code AYEAROFBOXES for 10% off your subscription!

Unboxing 6 Months of History by Mail

This is the second time we’ve reviewed a 6-month subscription from History by Mail. If you want to check out the previous 6-month subscription review, you can do that here. In our last review, we left off halfway through the WWII series. We received different documents and replicas in this batch as subscribers are guaranteed never to receive the same document twice!

You wouldn’t receive all 6 months at one time, you’d receive one historical replica letter or document each month, along with a separate document explaining the context of the letter or the document you received.  It’s such a fun subscription to look forward to each month!

Opening each envelope was like receiving a glimpse into the past. I’ve gotta say, there’s a lot of anticipation surrounding what historical gem I’d find inside.

Here’s a closer look at the first 6 months of history we received from History by Mail…

Operation Cornflakes Summary Card: This is the 3rd piece in our WWII series, and it features a summary card describing a secret WWII Office of Strategic Services (OSS) project called Operation Cornflakes. The project’s purpose was to harm the morale of the Axis powers by placing anti-Nazi messages in German and Austrian mail. And yes, on the info page that goes with it, you’ll learn all about why they called it “Operation Cornflakes” – I don’t want to give it all away here. 🙂

Eyewitness Account of the Trinity Explosion: In our fourth and final piece of the WWII series we received an eyewitness account of the Trinity Explosion on July 16, 1945. This was the detonation of the world’s first nuclear device, occurring in New Mexico as part of the Manhattan Project. The account was written by Luis Alvarez, a physicist working on the Manhattan Project who witnessed the explosion from a B-28 aircraft flying 24,000 feet over the site. Alvarez’s account includes one of his two sketches of the mushroom cloud that emerged and his written statement.

Letter from Annie Oakley to President William McKinley: This piece kicks off the first of a new series called “Celebrity Correspondences with Presidents.”  I’m excited for this one! This first piece is from Annie Oakley, who was considered to be America’s first female entertainment star. She was a sharpshooter and performed at shows around the world. As President McKinley deliberated whether to declare war on Spain in 1898, Annie wrote the letter seen here volunteering her services and the services of fifty female sharpshooters in the event of a war. How interesting is that?

Jackie Robinson’s Letter to President Eisenhower: In the second piece of our celebrities series, we received a letter from MLB player Jackie Robinson dated May 13, 1958. In it, Robinson, then VP of Personnel at Chock Full o’Nuts, criticizes comments President Eisenhower made urging African Americans to have patience in their struggle for equality. If you loved Jackie Robinson before, don’t you just love him even more for his advocacy?

Letter from Johnny Cash to President Ford: The third piece in our celebrities series is from the one and only Johnny Cash. In his letter to President Gerald Ford dated September 10, 1974 Cash shows his support for Ford’s controversial pardon of former President Richard Nixon. This was very interesting to read and almost personalizes Johnny Cash even more.

Memo of Conversation Between President Ford and Shirley Temple Black: In 1974 President Ford appointed Shirley Temple Black as US Ambassador to Ghana, where she remained for two years. Less than two months after she took oath, she met with President Ford in the White House. The memorandum we received was marked “Top Secret” and records their conversation.  I personally had no idea that Shirley Temple was a US ambassador! I remember her from her movies – but didn’t realize she took that kind of career shift. This was a fun discovery.

History by Mail 6-month Subscription – Final Thoughts

What a unique and rewarding subscription! History by Mail is an invitation to step back in time and experience American history. Each document we received felt like a tangible link to the past. It always sparks curiosity and I love being able to share it with my kids who are learning about a lot of these things in school. It really brings it to life.

Whether you’re a history buff or simply looking for an engaging new hobby, this subscription delivers. It’s more than just a letter in the mail – it’s a portal to the past. This subscription would make a fantastic gift for the upcoming holidays. Each month your recipient would get a new letter for 6 months, for less than a dinner out.  And don’t forget to use the code AYEAROFBOXES for XXXXX off making it an even greater value.

What do you think about History by Mail?  I’d love to know in the comments!

-AYOB Jessica