For anyone looking to travel abroad, getting a passport is a
must to gain entry into a foreign country. The Postal Service offers these
passports to adventure in distant lands at many of its offices nationwide. The
cost is a reasonable $135 plus an additional charge if someone also needs their
photo taken. We know how valuable these documents are when travelling, but let’s
take this opportunity to learn a little more about their history and why they
were originally created.
Passport use has been in existence in one form or another
since before the year 0. The documents back then usually consisted of a letter written
by either a government equivalent or a ruling leader authorizing the holder to safely
enter certain lands, cities and regions.
The passport name itself is believed to have originated from
medieval times when the documents authorized the holder to pass through the
gate, or porte, of a territory. It was also during this time that passports
were used as a form of privilege, granting individuals who’ve paid their taxes
the right to travel to other lands.
Earlier versions of passports included a written physical
description of the bearer. It wasn’t until the early 20th century
that photos were attached to the documents for easier identification. Passport
use during this time had evolved into a tool to keep out spies from foreign
countries and to control emigration.
Unlike the passports of today, passports used to vary widely
in look and size from country to country. That changed in 1980 when the United
Nations set the standard on passports through its International Civil Aviation
Organization agency.
Since August 2007, passports issued
domestically include an embedded chip in the back cover that contains the
biometric data of the bearer as well as information contained in the data page
of the passport.
What technological advances do you think will change the
passports of the future?
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