Gill Hoffs, author of The Sinking of RMS Tayleur: The Lost Story of the ‘Victorian Titanic’ used The British Newspaper Archive extensively for her research. She got in touch to tell us the touching story of the ‘Ocean Child’. We’d love to hear about what you’ve discovered too – email [email protected] ************** Put simply, my book could not have been written without The British Newspaper Archive. The 1854 disaster made headlines around the world, but has since been …
Headlines from History
Guglielmo Marconi applied for a patent for his new invention – the radio – on 2 June 1896. The British and Irish newspapers available online at The British Newspaper Archive reveal just how popular it became. You can explore thousands of adverts for Marconi radios like these, published up until the 1950s. Oh! Why don’t we get a Marconi? Dover Express – Friday 16 October 1936 Image © Local World Limited. Image created courtesy of THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. …
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You’ll find lots of amusing stories in The British Newspaper Archive about the strange events that happened both in the United Kingdom and around the world. A number of local newspapers, including the Grantham Journal, Portsmouth Evening News and Sheffield Evening Telegraph, reported on one such event in 1890. Women shrieked and children cried According to newspapers that are now available to search online, a huge brown bear interrupted a church service on Sunday 20 April 1890 after it …
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The FA Cup final on Saturday 17 May 2014 will see a showdown between Arsenal and Hull City. This is the first time Hull have reached the final. Hull City’s greatest achievement in cup competitions up to this point was in 1930, when they reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup. Rather strangely, they also faced Arsenal in that match. The British Newspaper Archive is a great place to research football history as you’ll find original match reports and reactions …
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Roger Bannister became the first man to run a mile in under four minutes on 6 May 1954. You can search British newspapers from 1954 online at The British Newspaper Archive, so we took a look to see how the incredible feat was reported. ‘Something typically British about this new world record’ The Aberdeen Evening Express published an article about Roger Bannister the following day, proudly stating that ‘Britain’s great mile-runner has achieved the ambition of all athletes; he …
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Search The British Newspaper Archive for the words ‘Tube strike’ and you’ll find hundreds of stories about London Underground strikes of the past. While most newspapers printed serious reports, we’ve found a few that couldn’t resist making a joke or two. Tu-be or not tu-be The Derby Daily Telegraph imagined how William Shakespeare would have responded to the Tube strike of 1919: Derby Daily Telegraph – Wednesday 05 February 1919 Image © Local World Limited. Image created courtesy of …
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The WW1 Gallipoli Campaign began on 25 April 1915, resulting in the loss of approximately 50,000 men from Australia, Britain, France and New Zealand. A poignant letter from an attending nurse was sent to an Australian woman living in London and printed in the Tamworth Herald. ‘It breaks my heart to see them’ The letter describes the nurse’s work at the Dardanelles during World War One and includes this incredibly moving comment: ‘It’s a sad time for us all, …
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St George’s Day and the anniversary of Shakespeare’s birth both fall on 23 April. ‘There will be justice and victory’ This patriotic advert from Ford was published in The Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer to mark the day during World War Two. It states that ‘wherever the tongue of Shakespeare is spoken, there will be justice and victory’. View the whole newspaper page The Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer – Thursday 22 April 1943 Image © Johnston …
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Search The British Newspaper Archive for the words ‘April Fool’ and you’ll find hundreds of examples of ‘hilarious’ pranks that were staged on 1 April in the past. We’ve selected our favourites for you to enjoy. WW1 football ‘bomb’ A ‘bomb’ was dropped on German troops during the First World War. After scrambling to take cover, the men discovered it was actually a football with the words ‘April fool!’ written on it. View the whole newspaper page Coventry Evening …
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English writer Virginia Woolf committed suicide on 28 March 1941. She struggled with depression and was deeply affected by the Second World War. ‘I cannot go on’ Woolf left a touching note for her husband, saying ‘I owe all my happiness to you, but cannot go on and spoil your life’. Read the full transcript of her letter, as printed in the Gloucestershire Echo: View the whole newspaper page Gloucestershire Echo – Saturday 19 April 1941 Image © Local …