Perspectives: History of the Chain Letter

In these days of virulent email scams, it's easy to forget that their ancestor, the chain letter, has been with us, well, not always, but at least as far back as 1888 when an enterprising Methodist academy for women missionaries ginned up a "peripatetic contribution box."  Slate has a fascinating history. Among other things, Slate tells us of the chain letter phenomenon, "Like any truly great crooked scheme, it began in Chicago."