As part of Black History Month this October, we have taken a look at the extraordinary life of Learie Constantine (1901-1971), a cricketer from Trinidad who would go on to become the United Kingdom’s first ever Black peer. The first player to take a Test match wicket for the West Indies, and described as one of the best all-round cricketers the world has ever seen, Learie Constantine’s career extended beyond sport, as he fought tirelessly against racial discrimination, as he became a writer, broadcaster, and even …
Headlines from History
The disappearance of Richard John Bingham, 7th Earl of Lucan, following the murder of his children’s nanny Sandra Rivett and the attack of his wife Veronica, in November 1974, is one of the most notorious unsolved mysteries in British criminal history. In this special blog, we will explore how his disappearance was reported on by the British press, using newspapers taken from our Archive. We will explore the newspaper reports from the days after the murder, whilst examining the press coverage …
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From the 26th to the 31st August Afton Down on the Isle of Wight was home to one of the largest rock festivals the world has ever seen. With an attendance that surpassed Woodstock the previous year; it is estimated that between 600,000 to 700,000 people flocked to the 1970 Isle of Wight Festival. With such large numbers in attendance, all did not go as planned, much like the revival of Woodstock in 1999. The festival was marred by petty …
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We are at The Archive are deeply saddened by the passing of Her Majesty The Queen. During her seven decades on the throne, she witnessed great change. With her calm determination, her sparkling humour and an unwavering sense of duty, she stood as a beacon of constancy and comfort to millions. To honour the memory of the late Queen, we have looked back at her extraordinary life through our newspapers, from when she was born, when her destiny was set to …
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We are excited to bring you another 305,497 newspaper pages. We have brought you a massive update to over 120 of our existing titles plus eleven brand-new titles. The new titles span 140 years of history with the latest title New Observer of Bristol published in 1994. This week’s incredible release brings us stories of local writers and royal weddings. We can read about history as it happened and track the progress of women’s rights and the American civil …
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While many are enjoying the summer holidays, we are continuing to bring you thousands of newspaper pages every week. This week we have added 371,962 pages. We are celebrating the 90s with additions to 64 newspapers from Dover, Sutton Coldfield, Southall, Brent, Plymouth and more from 1990-1999. If you are feeling nostalgic, you can jump into these regional newspapers and take a journey back to the time of Margaret Thatcher, Doc Martens, the Spice Girls, and Mr Blobby. You can …
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As part of our railway history month on The Archive, we’re delighted to welcome a very special guest blog post from Dr Mike Esbester, Senior Lecturer in History at the University of Portsmouth and co-lead of the ‘Railway Work, Life & Death Project.’ In this special blog, Mike takes a look at the dark side of railway work, and how the British Newspaper Archive has helped to inform research into railway accidents from days past. The Dark Side of Railway …
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Long before Agatha Christie envisioned murder on the Orient Express, or before she wondered what might have taken place on the 4.50 from Paddington, murder, mystery and mayhem were already well established on the railways of Britain and beyond. The first victim of murder on British railways was 70-year-old Thomas Briggs. In this special blog, we will take a look at his story, as well as nine others sourced from the pages of our newspaper Archive, which tell the strange, …
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On 20 July 1969, two American astronauts, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, landed on the moon, thus becoming the first two humans ever to walk on the lunar surface. These first steps were watched by an estimated audience of 650 million viewers worldwide, as the Apollo 11 mission became a veritable global media sensation. But how was the moon landing reported on by the British media? As part of space and the stars month here at The Archive, we have collated …
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In this very special blog, Jessie O’Hara, from our sister site Findmypast, takes a fascinating look at astrology through the pages of our newspapers. Featuring articles all the way from the eighteenth century to the twentieth century, she traces the development of attitudes towards astrology across three centuries, from scepticism to horoscopes being a mainstay of mainstream media. Register with us today and see what stories you can discover Believer or non-believer, agnostic or sceptic, there is no denying that …