‘The awful catastrophe which occurred at the Tay Bridge on the last Sunday of the year is still the all-absorbing theme of conversation in the community…’ A section of the Tay Bridge, which connects Dundee and Wormit in Fife, collapsed during a terrible storm on the night of 28 December 1879. Tragically, a Dundee-bound train plunged into the freezing waters of the river, with the loss of 60 lives (although some estimate the loss to have been 75 lives). Graphic illustrated the scenes …
‘All the world is made of faith, and trust, and pixie dust.’ J.M. Barrie’s classic play, Peter Pan (aka The Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up), received its world premiere at the Duke of York’s Theatre in London on 27 December 1904. Included below is a newspaper review of the play, that was published on Wednesday 28 December 1904, and also some wonderful illustrations of the main characters in the classic tale. The Evening Post – Wednesday 28 December 1904 Image …
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We wish all the visitors to the BNA website a Merry Christmas! Best wishes, The BNA Team. The Press and Journal – 25 December 1946 Image © D.C.Thomson & Co. Ltd. Image created courtesy of THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000578/19461225/023/0002 The Graphic – Saturday 30 December 1893 Image © THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000057/18931230/002/0003 The Evening Telegraph – 22 December 1933 Image © D.C.Thomson & Co. Ltd. Image created courtesy of THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000563/19331222/193/0013 Evening …
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Oh, we loved this whimsical article from 1919 about the quaint customs and traditions of Christmas! Grantham Journal – Wednesday 24 December 1919 Image © Johnston Press plc. Image created courtesy of THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000400/19191224/061/0003
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Samuel Smiles, author of Self-Help; with Illustrations of Character and Conduct, was born in Edinburgh on 23 December 1812. To mark the day, here is a very interesting newspaper review (from 29 December 1859) of his most famous book, ‘Self-Help’, which was published in late November 1859. The Devizes and Wiltshire Gazette – Thursday 29 December 1859 Image © THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000360/18591229/019/0004 Edinburgh Evening News – Tuesday 19 April 1904 Image © THE BRITISH LIBRARY …
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George Eliot (aka Mary Ann Evans), author of such classic novels as Middlemarch, The Mill on the Floss and Silas Marner, died at 4 Cheyne Walk, Chelsea, London, on 22 December 1880 – she was 61. To commemmorate the day, included below is a newspaper obituary of Eliot, which was published just two days after her death – and we’ve also included also a terrific illustration (from ‘The Graphic’ newspaper) from her beautiful novel, Silas Marner. Sheffield Daily Telegraph – …
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‘The word “solstice” means the standing still of the sun. Of course, the sun never stands still…’ It’s the winter solstice today. So, from today, we northern hemisphere-ers start to see a tiny bit more daylight – admittedly, it’s a very slow process. To celebrate the day, here are two newspaper reports that explain the science of the solstices – we especially like the diagram in the second article. Dundee Courier – Monday 21 December 1908 Image © D.C.Thomson & …
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From around the middle of December 1915, the UK and Irish newspapers started to report and pass comment on the withdrawal of Allied troops from the Dardanelles. Entitled ‘The Dardanelles Failure’, here is a detailed editorial published in the ‘Western Daily Press’ that reports and comments on the withdrawal. Western Daily Press – Tuesday 21 December 1915 Image © Local World Limited. Image created courtesy of THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000264/19151221/009/0004 Aberdeen Journal – Wednesday 31 March 1915 Image © …
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Behind the scenes, we’re constantly improving the search engine that powers the website. At the beginning of December, we made a major upgrade to our search technology to make your searches faster. Our lead Search Engineer, Dr Boon Low, explains what we did and what it means for you. As The British Newspaper Archive’s lead search engineer, my job is to deliver the best search experience we can for our customers. It’s a complex job – every time a search …
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Joseph Mallord William Turner, the great painter of atmospheric landscapes in the Romantic tradition, died in Cheyne Walk, Chelsea, on 19 December 1851 – he was 76. Here is a newspaper obituary of JMW Turner that was published on 27 December 1851, and also one of his sketches of the Loire. Northampton Mercury – Saturday 27 December 1851 Image © THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000317/18511227/026/0004 The Graphic – Saturday 17 December 1870 Image © THE BRITISH LIBRARY …