The British Newspaper Archive Blog - Part 8

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Explore The Archive’s Top Ten Most Unusual Rejected Patents

In December 1920 the world’s first illustrated weekly news magazine the Illustrated London News delved into the ‘curiosities and ingenuities‘ of the Patent Office, featuring some of Britain’s most unusual rejected patents. Illustrated by the publication’s own artist W.B. Robinson, the Illustrated London News presented a series of the bizarre designs that had been submitted to the Patent Office, but had since ‘lain dormant.’ We at The Archive were keen to delve into our collection’s cabinet of curiosities, and these

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Hot Off The Press – New Titles This Week

This week at The Archive we have added 216,287 brand new pages, as we mark the 68th anniversary of Princess Margaret’s ‘courageous decision’ not to marry divorced royal equerry Group Captain Peter Townsend. Meanwhile, we have added one brand new title this week, which covers an extreme Scottish political party, whilst we have made extensive additions this week to our existing newspapers from across the United Kingdom. So read on to learn more about how the press in 1955 reacted

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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

As it’s the height of spooky season we’re exploring the history of Halloween at The Archive, with the help of the 93,381 brand new pages that we have added to our collection over the last seven days. Meanwhile, we’re delighted to welcome one brand new newspaper title to The Archive, which is the Middlesex & Surrey Gazette, whilst we have made exciting updates to some of our existing titles from across Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. So read on to

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Hot Off The Press – New Titles This Week

This week at The Archive we are delighted to present a Northern Irish newspapers special, as we have updated a trio of our titles from Northern Ireland. We have also added 106,898 brand new pages over the last week alone, whilst we have added one brand new title from London. So read on to discover more about all of our new and updated titles of the week, and also to learn about the first ever Borstal, which was opened in

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The Jazz Age Queen Who Made Britain Her Home

American-born jazz age superstar Adelaide Hall (1901-1993) was a Black music legend, who from 1938 onwards made Britain her home. She went on to have a long and successful career in the UK. In this very special blog, as part of Black History Month on The Archive, we will celebrate this jazz age queen who came to Britain and entertained thousands of people via her stage and radio performances, using newspapers taken from our Archive. A Star Is Born To

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Hot Off The Press – New Titles This Week

This week we’re celebrating the history of cinema with the arrival of a brand new title, Glasgow’s Scottish Cinema, alongside 96,538 brand new pages. Meanwhile, from Ballymena to Bolton, from Belfast to Brighton, from Derry to Downham Market, we’ve updated 22 of our existing titles from across the United Kingdom, Ireland and beyond. So read on to discover more about all of our new and updated titles of the week, and also to learn about the marriage of Hollywood’s first

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Exploring the ‘Dancing Anthropologist’ Katherine Dunham’s Visits to the UK

Born in 1909 in Chicago, ‘dancing anthropologist’ Katherine Dunham was known as the ‘matriarch and queen mother of Black dance.’ Her father was a descendant of enslaved West Africans and Madagascans, whilst her mother hailed from Canada. A multitalented artist, academic and activist, for many years Katherine Dunham ran the Katherine Dunham Dance Company, the only self-supporting African-American dance troupe in the mid-twentieth century. It was during this time that Dunham toured the United Kingdom, and in this special blog,

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Hot Off The Press – New Titles This Week

This week at The Archive we are delighted to present one fantastic brand new title – the Felixstowe Times – which we welcome alongside 141,165 brand new pages. Meanwhile, from Darlington to Derry, from Worcester to Wales, we’ve updated our existing titles from across the United Kingdom and Ireland. So read on to discover more about our new and updated titles of the week, and also to learn about a most scandalous divorce, which was announced in the pages of

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Hot Off The Press – New Titles This Week

This week at The Archive we have reached the milestone of 71 million pages, having added 224,018 brand new pages over the last week alone, alongside one very special new title, the Walthamstow Express. We’ve also updated our existing titles from across the United Kingdom, with significant updates to the likes of the Belfast News-Letter and the Liverpool Daily Post. So read on to discover more about this week’s new title, the Walthamstow Express, and also to find out which

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