16 photos that prove that people don't know how to write by hand anymore

• Handwriting used to be a status symbol.
• People used to receive formal penmanship training.
• These days, digital word processors have minimized the importance of neat handwriting.

If you have terrible handwriting, you might be able to blame your genes or anatomy. But you can definitely blame history.

What used to be a prized art form that required formal training is now an afterthought in most public schools. No wonder you can't read your chicken scratch.

Here's how penmanship has evolved — or rather, declined — through the years.

This handwritten illuminated manuscript dates back to the year 1000.

Handwritten manuscripts and religious texts were the standard until Gutenberg's printing press debuted in 1440.

Even after the printing press, documents like the US Declaration of Independence from 1776 were written in crisp, neat script by professional penmen. (The ornate signatures add a flair of their own.)