July, 2013 | The British Newspaper Archive Blog - Part 3

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The Death of Adam Smith – 17 July 1790

Adam Smith, the moral philosopher and political economist who wrote ‘An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations’, died In Edinburgh on 17 July 1790, aged 67. To mark the day, here are four newspaper notices from 1790 that report on the death of Adam Smith. We’d love to find out more about the papers that he destroyed before he died – the ones that he deemed ‘not fit for the public eye’. Hmm, it does

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The New Zealand Family History Fair – Manukau, 2 to 4 August 2013

Thanks to the generosity of the New Zealand Society of Genealogists (NZSoG), the BNA will have a dedicated stand at the New Zealand Family History Fair in Manukau, from Friday 2 to Sunday 4 August. The BNA stand at the Fair will be manned by volunteers from the NZSoG. The volunteers, Jeni, Raewyn, Karen, Jan and Geoff, will be sharing info and news about the BNA project, and can also offer advice regarding how best to use the website for

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Lenin Goes Into Hiding and Then Escapes to Finland – 16 and 17 July 1917

On 16 and 17 July 1917, Lenin went into hiding and then fled Russia for Finland, after Kerensky’s provisional government outlawed the Bolshevik Party and started to arrest members of the party. Included below are three newspaper stories – published in July 1917 – that report on the chaos in Russia at this time and Lenin’s escape to Finland. Read more BNA blog posts about Lenin. Manchester Evening News – Thursday 26 July 1917 Image © Trinity Mirror. Image created

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Around the World in 3 Days, 19 Hours and 17 Minutes – Howard Hughes Sets a New Flying Record, 15 July 1938

On 15 July 1938, Howard Hughes and his team of flyers landed at Floyd Bennett Airfield in New York, after flying around the world in 3 days, 19 hours and 17 minutes The epic flight smashed the world record for flying around the world, which had been set by Wiley Post in 1933 – Wiley’s time was 7 days and 18 hours. To mark this historic event, here are some contemporary newspaper stories that report on the record-breaking flight bu

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The Conquest of the Matterhorn – 14 July 1865

‘Mr Edward Whymper, in a letter to ‘The Times’, furnishes what we may deem the authentic narrative of the terrible tragedy on the Matterhorn…’ On 14 July 1865, the seven members of the expedition led by Edward Whymper reached the summit of the Matterhorn – this was the first time that the famous mountain had ever been climbed. Tragically, however, four of the team lost their lives during the descent. Here is a newspaper article from 1865 that reports on

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The Assassination of Jean-Paul Marat by Charlotte Corday – 13 July 1793

‘I killed one man to save 100,000’ – Charlotte Corday In Paris on 13 July 1793, Charlotte Corday gained admission to the flat of Jean-Paul Marat and, after a 15-minute conversation with Marat while he was in the bath, stabbed him to death. Corday was a supporter of the Girondins and witnesses claim that she clearly hated Marat and the Montagnards The assassination of Marat was a major factor in creating the paranoid atmosphere that led to the ‘Reign of

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Henry David Thoreau – Born on 12 July 1817

Henry David Thoreau was born in Concord, Massachusetts, on 12 July 1817. Thoreau is probably best known for his book, ‘Walden’, in which he reflects upon the joys that can be experienced from simple living while in tune with nature. The Archive contains 100s of stories about H.D. Thoreau, and we’ve chosen three 19th Century newspaper articles which offer a terrific  insight into Thoreau’s life and philosophy – we especially like his thoughts on walking. Evening Telegraph – Friday 26 April 1878

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Harold Mahony: until Sunday 7 July 2013, the last Scot to win a Wimbledon men’s singles title (July 1896)

We were fascinated by this news story about Harold Mahony, who won the men’s singles at Wimbledon in 1896. Born in Edinburgh in 1869 (we think the 1867 in the news story is a typo), Mahony was twice a semi-finalist at Wimbledon in 1891 and 1892, before finally winning the championship in 1896. As he was born to Irish parents (from Dublin), Mahony was clearly a mix of Scottishness and Irishness – so Ireland might claim him as an Irish

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The Seagull and the Fisherman – a “Shaggy Seagull’s Tale” About a ‘Homing’ Seagull

The amazing tale of a ‘homing’ seagull… We do love the weird and wonderful stories about animals that can be found in the Archive – truly, the BNA is a treasure trove of stories about animals. Here’s a very interesting story about a seagull ‘good and true’, who would just not let an ‘auld acquaintance be forgot’ – in short, this bird was a ‘homing’ seagull. So it reveals much about seagulls, this story – after all, it’s not all

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Your Family History Stories – ‘Visitations of God and Other Startling Events’

We’re often moved by the amazing stories you tell us about what you’ve been discovering in The Archive. Jan Barlow, a professional genealogist based in SE England, recently tweeted to tell us about some of the stories she’s been finding about her family ancestors in the BNA. Poignantly, Jan’s research has uncovered some very sad facts regarding the many dangers of the workplace during the Victorian era. Jan has written a fascinating article about her “bus driver’s holiday” ancestral research,

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