Journals have been found in China dating as far back as 56 A.D. The practice of journaling was very popular in Renaissance Europe. Women often communicated with one another through letters, so it is not surprising that they also recorded their experiences in this manner. Explorers also used journals, or logs, to note their observations.
Many regard Samuel Pepys' journal as the first journal that became well-known to the general public. Pepys was an English naval administrator living in England in the seventeenth century. In his diary, he wrote about current events, people he knew and reflections on his actions. Another famous journal was Anne Frank's diary, which chronicled her experiences in hiding from the Nazis during World War II. This diary was first published in 1947. It's still popular in the United States today, under the title "The Diary of a Young Girl," and is required reading in many public schools (see Resources below).
Writing teachers often encourage their students to keep journals. The experience of "free writing" can help students develop their creativity and experience the pleasure of writing just for writing's sake. Psychologists ask their patients to journal to help them better understand their feelings and how they react to certain situations. Professional writers can also benefit from journaling, since it keeps them in the practice of writing something every day.
Many scholars see journals as valuable historical texts. They give insight into people of different eras and cultures. By getting an uncensored view of the writer's feelings and thoughts, the reader can more easily experience what was going on at the time than by flipping through a book of facts. For this reason, journals, as well as letters, are some of the most prized finds of documentary and biography writers.
Since journals are often not meant for the eyes of anyone but the writer, it's proper to get permission from the writer, or the manager of the writer's estate, before publishing information found in a journal. For example, Anne Frank's father, Otto Frank, strictly controlled the publication of her diary, editing out the parts he did not want exposed to the world audience.
There are hundreds, if not thousands, of different types of journals available. Any neighborhood bookstore will have a stock of a dozen or more kinds. There are the typical blank books, food diaries, journals that contain quotes, journals that double as day planners, even journals for very young children who are just learning to write. There are also journals available only at specialty shops, such as waterproof field journals for scientific use.