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

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The BNA at the ‘Tayroots Family History Day’ at the Brechin Mechanics’ Institute – Friday 13 September 2013

The BNA team is delighted to be attending the Tayroots Family History Day at the Mechanics’ Institute in Brechin on Friday 13 September, from 10am to 4pm. A number of other archive organisations will also be attending the fair, including ScotlandsPeople, Angus Archives, Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire Archives, and the Tay Valley History Society. So if you’re new to family history research, it’s a great chance to find out what genealogy resources are available and to get some free advice

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The Death of William Booth, Founder of the Salvation Army – 20 August 1912

William Booth, the Methodist preacher from Sneinton in Nottingham who founded the Salvation Army, died in London on 20 August 1912 – he was 83. To mark the day, here is a detailed newspaper obituary of William Booth that was published in ‘The Western Times’ on 23 August 1912. Western Times – Friday 23 August 1912 Image © Northcliffe Media Limited. Image created courtesy of THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000265/19120823/010/0006

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Remembering Groucho Marx – 19 August 1977

Julius Henry ‘Groucho’ Marx died of pneumonia in Los Angeles on 19 August 1977 – he was 86. To mark the day, here is a wonderful photograph of Groucho ‘in action’ with Margaret Dumont. And just for good measure, we’ve included a quirky, wee story about Groucho’s sudden decision to stop playing his son, Arthur, at tennis. Evening Telegraph – Saturday 30 March 1940 Image © D.C.Thomson & Co. Ltd. Image created courtesy of THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000563/19400330/093/0005 Evening

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The Strange Tale of Aston Villa FC and the Private Detective – Season 1899/1900

The football season in England kicks off this weekend and the BNA Team already has the fresh smell of pitch-marking paint (and the smell of hope, too!) in our footie-daft minds. Kjell Hanssen, one of the many football researchers who regularly visits the BNA Kop, kindly shared this terrific story about how the directors of Aston Villa hired a private detective back in season 1899-1900, in order to find out how the players spent their leisure time. Oh, but it

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If Henry VIII Had Used a Gillette Razor…

‘Without that fiery beard, would Henry VIII have been the man he was?’ We do love the quirky and erudite adverts in the Archive. Here’s a terrific ‘before and after’ advert that imagines what Henry VIII might have been like if only he had used Gillette razors. Nottingham Evening Post – Wednesday 17 June 1931 Image © Northcliffe Media Limited. Image created courtesy of THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000321/19310617/043/0011

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Bridget Driscoll: first pedestrian to be killed by a car – 17 August 1896

At the Crystal Palace in London on 17 August 1896, Bridget Driscoll of Croydon became the first pedestrian in the UK to be killed by a motor car – she was 44.   Read newspaper reports about the accident   Here is a newspaper story about the accident and also a report on the coroner’s inquest. Western Times – Wednesday 19 August 1896 Image © THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. View the whole newspaper page    Sheffield Daily

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E. Nesbit and the Psammead

Edith Nesbit (aka E. Nesbit), author of ‘The Railway Children’ novel, was born in Kennington, Surrey, on 15 August 1858. Nesbit created one of the most wonderful characters in children’s literature: the Psammead. Included below is a brief description of the Psammead., from a newspaper published in 1902. We believe that the Psammead is a creature that will appeal to kids of all ages. Sheffield Daily Telegraph – Thursday 06 November 1902 Image © THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. ALL RIGHTS

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The Death of ‘Babe’ Ruth – 16 August 1948

George Herman ‘Babe’ Ruth, one of the most popular baseball players of all time, died in New York on 16 August 1948, aged 53. Born in Baltimore, ‘Babe’ Ruth is fondly remembered for his amazing record as a batsman, and for scoring the most home runs in seasons 1919, 1920, 1921 and 1927 – thus earning him the nickname of the ‘Home Run King’. To mark the day of his passing, here are two newspaper stories – published on 17

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Your BNA Stories – the Early History of Liverpool FC and the Bill Shankly Centenary

As supporters of the theory that modern professional football started ‘going to the dogs’ when dogs somehow stopped running on to the pitch, we always like to hear stories about “the working people’s ballet” when fans were bunneted and players were brilliantined. So when Kjell Hanssen got in touch to tell us about the research he is doing in the BNA on the early history of Liverpool FC, we were all ears. A former regular through the turnstiles at the

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Reducing the National Debt in 1928 – by Voluntary Contributions from the Public

Lord and Lady Inchcape donate £500,000 to the UK government in 1928 to help reduce the national debt Inspired by this week’s big story about the amazing donation made by Joan L.B. Edwards to the UK government (‘the party in government of the day’, to quote the exact phrase in Ms Edwards’ will), we thought we’d try and find stories in The Archive about massive donations made by altruistic individuals to governments in previous years. After a quick search, we

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