How to Find Old Newspaper Articles Online

With old newspaper articals, the past does more than come alive. It brings back a spring in the step of those that were there. This is when the story that is being read leads the reader to be reminded of other related events that occurred at the same time in our elders’ lives. For many grandfathers, this is the time when they would break out a story about their youth, and how life was 60 to 80 years ago.

Before long, the stories from the greatest generation that ever lived will only be found in old newspapers. This is because time catches up with all of us and we must pass the torch on to the next generation.

Times have a way of changing how things are done. What is considered an old news paper article now was fresh news at one time. At the turn of the last century, the news in the paper was current. The farmers that lived in rural America would get a copy on their weekly trip into town. That night, the father and mother would gather the children around the fireplace or kerosene lantern and read the current events of the world to their children.

Today, all a person has to do to find current events is to turn on their computer and any events from all corners of the globe are accessible to them. With such access, the modern reporter no longer has any trouble filling up their columns with news events. This is dramatically different than the dilemma reporters faced a century ago.

Front page stories back then would include who was invited to the local socialite’s house for dinner, and wedding announcements. Included in the stories would be the complete lists of those that attended these events.

You can really see how times and our lives have changed when you read old newspaper articals from our past.  If you are a historian or family history researcher the single most valuable tool you can have in your arsenal is a subscription to the world’s largest newspaper article database.

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The Civil War newspaper stories from 150 years ago are more readily available today than they were at any time in the past.  This is due to advances in media, and the accessibility of old newspapers online.

Today, Americans hear about the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq from the televised news reports that show videos and pictures of what is actually happening in these faraway lands. During the Civil War, all there was were newspaper war correspondents that had their reports published in the newspapers.

On April 9, 1862, the New York Times had the headline “The Seat of War in the Southern, Eastern, and Mountain Parts of Virginia”. The top half was a map so the public could get a visual grasp of the situation. Along with this map is a description of the rebel and union army positions, and the retreat routs that are open to the rebels.

The reports of troop movement were accurate but delayed by 12 days. This was due to the time it took to deliver the reports from the field to the home office of the newspaper.  On March 28, 1862, the departure of General Porter’s division from Alexandria down the Potomac River to the fortress Monroe was described.

There were 36 steam and sailing vessels that moved the troops on the river. The weather was not good and the conditions of the roads were bad upon their arrival. The mood of the troops was high despite the thoughts of engaging the enemy nearby. The troops that were involved were the 4th Michigan regiment, Elm City, State of Maine, and Knickerbockers.

This is how the Civil War newspaper stories were reported over 150 years ago. In sharp contrast to the price of a paper today, back then it was only 2 cents.

If you aspire to be an author, or are a published author, and you interest lies in history, then you need your very own subscription to the worlds larges database of digitized online old newspaper articles.  Start your seven day free trial right now.

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The newspaper articles written about World War 1 bring to life the grim reality about the first time the entire world was in a conflict with itself. This was a period in history before political correctness was taken overboard and graphic details were included.

Back at the turn of the last century, the war of words was fought in publications. This was the only medium available at the time. Unlike today when there is a direct telephone line running between the major leaders’ offices, back then most communication was done publicly in the papers.

During the turbulence leading up to the declaration of war in 1914, there are many good examples. One of the better ones is a published interview with Theobald von Bethmann-Hollweg, who was the German Chancellor at that time, about his conversation with Sir Edward Goschen, the British Ambassador to Germany.

In that last meeting on August 4 1914, the German Chancellor described England’s treaty with Belgium, in which the neutrality of Belgium was guaranteed, as a “scrap of paper”. This was not taken very well in England and within hours of this conversation England declared war on Germany.

This entire episode was the reaction after Belgium refused to give the German army safe passage through their land so they could invade France. This was documented in a letter the German government wrote to the Belgian Government on August 2, 1914. In this letter, it was described how France was going to push through Belgium to invade Germany and the German government was prepared to stop them in their tracks.

What is really nice is that all the letters involving this incident were published for the world to see. The world then took sides, not because of who they thought was right or wrong, but for which side’s victory would be most beneficial to their respective governments.

This is just one series of newspaper articles written about World War 1. As they say, the rest is history.  Click on one of the banners for more information on your own subscription to the largest newspaper archive in the world.

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With newspaper headlines for historical events, the past can be relived. In some cases, the events that are reported are celebrated for years to come. This includes Independence Day, and when the first man walked on the moon.

Other stories that have made headlines in the past are sometimes forgotten about until there is a link to the present times. Such an example is with Jack Harrison’s death on June 10, 2010. Jack was the 98th man in the list of 200 escapees from the famous Great Escape from the Stalag Luft III.

Only 76 prisoners actually were able to escape from the prison camp before the guards became aware of the event and put a stop to it. This occurred on March 24, 1944. In 1963, the film “The Great Escape” was produced to honor and celebrate this event.

Further back in time on June 10, 1752, it was announced that Benjamin Franklin flew a kite in a lightning storm. During this flight, the kite was struck by a bolt of electricity and the charge was collected in a Leyden jar. The significance of this event was not truly recognized, but it was recorded a few days later in the local newspaper.

A more recent event that made headlines around the world happened on June 11, 1979. This is the date on which John Wayne passed away. He was born Marion Morrison on May 26, 1907. His first roles were under the stage name of Duke Morrison. In the 1930s when he was just a rising star, that was when his stage name was changed to John Wayne. But to many, he was always “the Duke.”

These are just a few glimpses of newspaper headlines for historical events that can be found.

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