Space Race The Space Race between the Soviet Union and the United States experienced a significant ratcheting up at the end of the 1950s with the Sputnik Crisis, which saw the successful launching and orbit of the satellite Sputnik 1 by the Soviet Union in 1957. This development was a key factor in the creation of NASA the following year by the United States as well as the investment of federal funds into national security and research and development. An …
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As we welcome a new month, we at the Archive take the opportunity to delve into historical events that have occurred in the month of May over the years. Lewis and Clark On 14 May 1804, Lewis and Clark departed St Louis on their expedition west. It was the first American expedition to explore the western half of the United States. The expedition was ordered by President Jefferson following the Louisiana Purchase to, in part, map this newly acquired territory. …
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This month we are excited to bring five new titles to the Archive. Among the new titles are extensive runs of The Rugby Advertiser and John Bull. Also joining the archive this month were new titles for Antrim in Ireland, West Yorkshire and Norfolk. The Archive now holds over 19 million pages of historic newspapers dating from the early 1700s to the early 2000s! Click on each of the titles below to learn more about the newspaper and read a …
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The newspapers in our collection are full of gardening advice from across the centuries. In this series of posts we will explore flower and vegetable gardening from the early 1700s to the 1950s. Join us as we discover forgotten varieties and perennial favourites. We will share hints and tips from bygone ages, some of which may be worth reviving, and others which are better left untried. April Showers In April we can give into impatience and declare it Spring in …
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In last week’s inaugural post for Cookery Corner, we looked at delicious cake recipes and found some that made our mouth water. This month, we have toned it down a little and are taking a look at biscuits – our favourite cup of tea companion. To begin our search, we identified a number of classic biscuits we wanted to find: ginger nut, shortbread, and digestive. Along the way, a few other types popped up. Ginger Nut Initially, a search for …
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This week for Easter, we took a look through our newspapers to find Easter traditions across the globe. The papers in the British Newspaper Archive report events from around the world as well as explore international customs and traditions. We found traditions in Romania, Russia, Bulgaria, France, and England. Easter Customs In 1933, The Sphere did a feature on Easter customs in many lands. In one image, you can see fishermen from Galilee, in present-day northern Israel. The caption tells us …
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We were thrilled with the number of people who visited our stand at Who Do You Think You Are? Live in Birmingham between 6 April and 8 April. Many wanted to get to know more about the website. We also spoke to long-term users who did not know about some of the new features or wanted to know if we had any search tips. Here are the top 5 search tips we discussed with our visitors: 1. Search outside your …
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Thousands arrived at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham for Who Do You Think You Are? Live 2017 between Thursday 6 April and Saturday 8 April. Today, we are reviewing a few of the family history stories revealed during the show and we will share 5 of the top search tips discussed during the event. The event welcomed family historians and genealogists from across the country to come together to discuss their research and to find out more about the …
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This week thousands have assembled at Who Do You Think You Are? Live in Birmingham to demolish those brick walls, learn new tricks of genealogy, and hear about the latest news of family history. Most of us have searched the newspapers for obituaries, but much more can be revealed about our ancestor’s lives than the memorials at their death. Today, we will take a look at the divorce courts, bankruptcy notices, illegitimacy cases, and committee minutes. The mid- to late …
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April Fool’s Day is the perfect day to delve into a topic that has of late appeared in the headlines: fake news. While its current iteration may seem particularly upsetting, it may be comforting (in a way) to learn that this is not a new phenomenon and it, in fact, plagued late nineteenth century journalism. In the United States, a new brand of ‘journalism’ emerged, coined ‘yellow journalism’—the clickbait of the pre-internet era. Joseph Pulitzer, now known mostly for the …