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The Porthole Mystery – The Murder of Gay Gibson (Part Two)

In October 1947, actress Eileen Isabella Ronnie Gibson, also known as Gay Gibson, disappeared from the ship upon which she was travelling home from South Africa. Her disappearance, which later led to a murder trial, hit headlines across the globe, as the sensational case mirrored plots akin to those to be found in books authored by Agatha Christie. In the first part of this special blog series, which you can read here, we took a look at who Gay Gibson

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Celebrating Princess Kouka and Her Forgotten Film Legacy

In the late 1930s a newcomer made her way onto British cinema screens: Princess Kouka. From Sudan, Princess Kouka, born Tahia Ibrahim Belal, had been spotted by film producer Walter Futter, who was determined for her to appear in his next film. Using newspapers from the time, we uncover the legacy of this largely forgotten film star, who travelled to Britain and impressed audiences across the country. ‘A Notable Newcomer’ On 18 December 1936 London’s Daily News reported on the

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Hot Off The Press – New Titles This Week

We’re starting this week off with a bang as we have added 218,828 brand new pages to The Archive, as we investigate the 1964 ‘Battle of Pier Gap,’ in which mods and rockers clashed in Clacton-on-Sea, Essex. Meanwhile, we’ve added one brand new title to The Archive, the East Essex Advertiser and Clacton News, as well as making extensive updates to our existing titles from across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. From Croydon to Clacton, from South Bank to South

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Unravelling the remarkable stories of the Mitford sisters

The aristocratic Mitford sisters – Nancy, Pamela, Diana, Unity, Jessica and Deborah – hit the headlines throughout their lifetimes, with tales of scandal and intrigue filling the pages of the press from the 1920s and beyond. Born to David Freeman-Mitford, 2nd Baron Redesdale, and his wife Sydney, alongside brother Thomas, the Mitford sisters often shocked society, whether it be through their political views, or their private lives. In this special blog, we shall unravel the remarkable stories of the six

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The Disappearance of Lord Lucan As Told Through Our Newspapers

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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A Look At The 1970 Isle of Wight Festival – Britain’s Answer To Woodstock

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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Our Newspapers & Breaking The News at The British Library

From April this year our long-term partner the British Library has been home to a fantastic exhibition – Breaking the News – which investigates the ‘big questions about the news we consume.’ Exploring how the news shapes the world around us, the exhibition combines different news mediums from five centuries, from radio to television, from pamphlets to newspapers, as well as using objects and artefacts from the British Library’s extensive collection. Book your tickets for the Breaking the News exhibition here And

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Hot Off The Press – New Titles This Week

This week at The Archive we have reached the milestone of 53 million pages all now available to search, after 305,433 brand new pages joined us over the past seven days. Moreover, we are delighted to welcome to our collection this week five new newspaper titles from England, Scotland and Wales, whilst we have made updates to 94 of our existing titles, all the way from Accrington to Wokingham. So read on to discover more about all of our new and updated titles this week, as

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We’ve Reached 50 Million Pages – Celebrating 50 Fantastic Things About The Archive

Today we have reached a landmark of 50 million pages all now available to search on the British Newspaper Archive. That’s 50 million pages of news stories that span four centuries, from 1699 to 2009, that come from the United Kingdom and Ireland, and beyond. And we’re not stopping here – we plan to add millions more pages over the coming weeks, months and years. When the British Newspaper Archive was launched in partnership with the British Library in November 2011 a goal of

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Marking 150 Years Since The First FA Cup Final

150 years ago this March, on 16 March 1872, the first ever FA Cup final was played between the Wanderers and the Royal Engineers. Register now and explore the Archive In this special blog, we will take a look at this historic match, which was played at Kennington Oval in South London, using newspapers taken from the time, as well as a very special account that was written some 66 years later. The Association Challenge Cup Final Tie On 13

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