A newspaper report from 1929 on the donation of the copyright to ‘Peter Pan’ to The Great Ormond Street Hospital for Sick Children in London We like this news story from 15 April 1929. As this is one of these stories to make the heart sing and keep us forever young, we think it’s the perfect way to start the week. Dundee Courier – Monday 15 April 1929 Image © D.C.Thomson & Co. Ltd. Image created courtesy of THE BRITISH …
At Ford’s Theatre in Washington on 14 April 1865, Abraham Lincoln was shot in the back of the head by John Wilkes Booth. After shooting President Lincoln, Booth jumped down to the stage and shouted, ‘Sic temper tyrannis’ (‘thus always to tyrants’). Wilkes Booth was a member of one of America’s most famous acting families and was also fanatical in his support for the Confederacy. To mark the sad day, here are two early reports of the assassination, as carried …
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In Warm Springs, Georgia, on 12 April 1945, President Roosevelt, the 32nd President of the United States, died after suffering a stroke – he was aged 63. To mark the day, here are two historical newspaper articles that report on the death of ‘4-term Roosevelt’. Western Morning News – Friday 13 April 1945 Image © Northcliffe Media Limited. Image created courtesy of THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000329/19450413/052/0003 Dundee Courier – Saturday 14 April 1945 Image © D.C.Thomson & Co. Ltd. …
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Sir Archibald McIndoe, the New Zealand plastic surgeon who pioneered innovative operating and treatment methods for RAF pilots during World War Two, died in England on 11 April 1960, aged 59. To mark the day, here are three newspaper stories from the Archive that report on McIndoe’s life and brilliant work. And we shudder at the thought of these skin graft operations performed with a razor blade! Derby Daily Telegraph – Monday 29 May 1944 Image © Northcliffe Media Limited. …
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As towns in Britain continued to grow, especially from the mid-eighteenth century onwards, street lighting at night became important. In the days before the invention of electricity and all of the systems that support street lighting today, it can be hard for us to imagine how much effort was needed to create lights in streets. Once installed, street lights had to be turned on at dusk and off again at dawn. There are numerous reports of lamplighters in British newspapers. …
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We had a grand day out in Dundee last Friday, at the ‘Tayroots’ Family History Day at Discovery Point. We heard some terrific and intriguing stories about jute workers, sailors, soldiers, terrible accidents, divorce cases, missing ancestors, dockers, ships – well, in short, life, the universe, everything. Here are some photos of the BNA Stand. You can see a full gallery of photos from this event on our Facebook page. http://www.facebook.com/TheBritishNewspaperArchive Amy and Grant of the BNA Team Photograph courtesy and …
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The BNA Team will be attending the SAFHS (Scottish Association of Family History Societies) Conference/Fair in Galashiels on Saturday 11 May 2013. The conference/fair takes place at the Scottish Borders Campus (Nether Road, TD1 3HE) and runs from 10am to 4.30pm. Admission is FREE if you’re just attending the family history fair, or £15 if you’re going to the various talks. The theme of the various talks at the conference is ‘Comings and Goings, Migration and Scotland’. With so many …
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We love hearing stories about what people are finding in the Archive. In particular, we enjoy hearing stories about how the newspaper reports have provided added insight into the lives of ancestors and helped people to gain a better understanding of their forebears. So we were delighted when Debra Watkins tweeted to tell us about how she had learned more about her ancestors through reading newspaper reports on the BNA website. In short, Debra had long been puzzled by the …
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‘Who breaks a butterfly upon a wheel?’ On 6 April 1895, Oscar Wilde was arrested at the Cadogan Hotel, London, after losing a libel case against the Marquess of Queensberry. How we wish he’d fled the country, instead of waiting to be arrested! But, no; instead, he took the Socratic route and that ultimately led to his ‘hard labour’ imprisonment (‘Who breaks a butterfly upon a wheel?’) and early death – but that was a very brave act. John Betjeman …
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Sir Joseph Lister, surgeon and pioneer of antiseptic surgery, was born in Upton, Essex, on 5 April 1827. There are 100s of interesting stories about Lister in the Archive, and we’ve been reading various newspaper reports about his life and his world-changing achievements in the medical world. So to celebrate the day of his birth, here are two stories that report on lectures that Lister gave during the 1890s on the subjects of vaccination and the ‘Koch Discoveries’ – i.e. …