Message in a bottle found after a century at sea


A fisherman in Germany found a 101-year-old message in a bottle while fishing on the Baltic Sea and now the message has been shown to the family of the man who wrote it.

NPR notes Richard Platz tossed the bottle containing a postcard into the ocean way back in 1913.

More than 100 years later, Konrad Fischer, who has a fitting last name, reeled in the floating bottle. Fischer was initially going to throw away the bottle until he noticed the message stuck inside. (ViaExaminer)

Platz died in 1946, so a genealogical researcher did some digging to determine what living family members might be close by.

The Guardian reports Platz's granddaughter, who was born six years after Platz died, said she couldn't believe what Fischer had found.

"It was very surprising. ... A man stood in front of my door and told me he had post from my grandfather."

Making the shocking find even more amazing — according to USA Today, it could potentially break a Guinness World Record if it's confirmed. The current record was set in 2012 after a nearly 98-year-old message in a bottle was found in the ocean.

The 101-year-old message is now being housed in a museum in Hamburg, Germany.

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