The practice of sending messages in bottles dates back to ancient Greece, used by scientists to study ocean currents. Militaries also used it for communication, leading Queen Elizabeth I to appoint an Official Opener of Ocean Bottles. Today, it is used for social experiments and scientific studies, as well as a figurative term for communication without a specific addressee.
The expression “message in a bottle” literally comes from the practice of placing an important but non-purposeful letter inside a (usually) glass bottle, sealing it and allowing ocean currents to carry it away. There are indications that ancient Greek scientists used the message in a bottle to study the general flow of the oceans. Early militaries also used bottles to relay messages to distant troops, although this method had some tactical drawbacks. Had the enemy discovered the message first, vital secrets may have been revealed. This situation led Queen Elizabeth I of England to appoint an Official Opener of Ocean Bottles.
Many people associate a message in a bottle with castaway souls living on a deserted island with little hope of being discovered. The idea would be to create a detailed description of the survivors, their last known location and landmarks found on the island. Once the sealed bottle is released, ocean currents should eventually carry it to an inhabited shoreline. The finder allegedly discovered the note and notified the proper authorities for a rescue attempt. Unfortunately, the bottle and its contents could easily become caught in ocean debris or submerged by passing ships, or land in an isolated area. However, it does provide some form of hope for an eventual rescue. Hundreds of messages in hundreds of bottles, however, might be an even better approach to consider.
The truth is, a message in a bottle is far more likely to be sent solely as a social experiment. Some coastal citizens will put a personal greeting complete with contact information in a bottle and send it to see how far it goes. Those who find such messages are often asked to submit a detailed report on how and where it was discovered. Others can become pen pals with the original sender or add their own messages and resend the bottle in water. An entire class of students could coordinate their program and track results over the years.
Scientists also use a more sophisticated message in a bottle to study ocean currents and waves. These containers contain special cards that ask finders to document the location and time of discovery. Some high-tech systems may also contain a small global positioning transponder for remote tracking. Even if humans never discover these containers, the information can still be retrieved.
The term has recently changed from literal to figurative. It is often used to describe an activity or social communication without a specific addressee. A software engineer in Iowa can send a “message in a bottle” to, say, Microsoft executives. It would not be sent directly to Bill Gates in an envelope, but rather posted as a generic blog post or on an open forum for software engineers. Another person might post a message on a singles forum to attract potential romantic partners. The point of these exercises would be to allow messages to flow naturally, hoping that the right people will eventually find and respond to them.
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