Newspaper Facts You Never Knew

charles dickens newspaper

Other than wrapping up a tasty batch of fish and chips, and their iconic smell, here’s a few facts you never knew about newspapers…

Turn the page to:


The Courant Newspaper

Newspaper Facts

– The first British newspaper was the Courant printed in 1621

– The Daily Courant was the first regular daily British newspaper printed in 1702


The Daily Mirror Newspaper

Newspaper Facts

The Daily Mirror, founded in 1903, is Britain’s oldest surviving tabloid

– The Daily Mirror was the first UK daily national newspaper to produce a free weekly colour magazine (on a Wednesday) in 1969

– The Sunday Mirror newspaper used to be called the Sunday Pictorial until 1963

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The Times Newspaper

The Times newspaper did not carry news stories on the front page until 1966

– The Times is the UK’s oldest current daily national newspaper, founded as the Daily & Universal Register in 1785 before changing its name to The Times in 1788

– The Times crossword first appeared on 1st February 1930

– The Times newspaper was not printed for nearly a year between 1978 and 1979 due to an industrial dispute

– The first photograph in the Times newspaper appeared in 1914


The Sunday Times

The Sunday Times newspaper (despite its name) had no relationship with The Times newspaper until a change of ownership in 1966 led to them becoming sister papers

– The Sunday Times was the first UK national Sunday newspaper to supply a colour magazine supplement in 1962

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The Guardian Newspaper

Newspaper Facts

The Guardian newspaper used to be called the Manchester Guardian until 1959

– The Guardian and Observer newspapers changed to a mid-size format in 2006 (neither broadsheet nor tabloid) – the format is officially known as “Berliner” after a German newspaper of the same size


The Daily Mail Newspaper

Newspaper Facts

– Most of the UK’s national newspapers were broadsheets before the 1970s, including the Daily Mail and Daily Express

The Daily Mail is mentioned in The Beatles’ hit single Paperback Writer

– The Daily Mail (founded 1896) was the first UK daily newspaper to sell more than 1 million copies, making it the biggest selling Western newspaper

– The sister paper of the Daily Mail is called The Mail on Sunday to prevent it from being confused with the sister paper of the Scottish Daily Record which is called the Sunday Mail!

– The Daily Mail has been owned by the family of Lord Rothermere since it was founded in 1896

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The Observer Newspaper

The Observer founded in 1791 is the world’s oldest Sunday paper

– The Observer became the sister paper of The Guardian in 1993 following a change in ownership


The Sun

The Sun newspaper is currently Britain’s biggest selling daily newspaper

– The Sun newspaper used to be called the Daily Herald until 1964 and was re-launched as a tabloid in 1969


News of the World

Newspaper Facts

The News of the World was the most popular English language newspaper in the world in the 1950s

– The News of the World and Sunday Mirror newspapers both appointed their first female editors in 1987

– The News of the World is the biggest selling Sunday newspaper

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Did You Know About These Newspapers?

The Daily Telegraph and Financial Times are currently the only UK national daily newspapers to retain a broadsheet format

The Financial Times (founded in 1888) was first printed on pink paper in 1893 to distinguish it from its rival the Financial News- the Financial News was eventually merged with the Financial Times in 1945

– The Yorkshire Post was the first British newspaper to report on The Abdication Crisis on 2nd December 1936

– The London Evening News was the biggest selling London evening paper for decades before merging with the London Evening Standard in 1980

– The Daily Star was first printed in 1978 and is no relation of “The Star”, which was a London evening paper printed 1888-1960

– The Today newspaper (printed from 1986-1995) was the UK’s first national full colour newspaper

– The Daily Herald was the first UK daily newspaper to sell more than 2 million copies, making it the biggest selling paper in the world in 1933

– The Daily Express (founded 1900) was the UK’s most popular daily by 1936 with the largest circulation in the world of 2.25 million, rising to 3 million in 1944 and 4 million in 1949

– The Daily Express was the last UK national newspaper to leave Fleet Street, which was the home of the British Press from 1702-1989

– The Sunday Express was the first UK national newspaper to carry a crossword on 2nd November 1924

The Independent (founded 1986) is the UK’s youngest national daily newspaper

– The Daily Star Sunday (started 2002) is the UK’s youngest national Sunday newspaper

The Scotsman was first printed as a weekly newspaper in 1817, before becoming a daily newspaper in 1855

– The Herald (Glasgow) was first printed as the Glasgow Advertiser in 1783, before changing its name to the Herald & Advertiser in 1802, the Glasgow Herald in 1805 and The Herald in 1992

– The Daily Graphic (founded 1890) was the UK’s first daily illustrated newspaper

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Famous Figures in Newspapers

Newspaper Facts

– Charles Dickens was the first editor for the Daily News, which later merged with the Daily Chronicle to form the News Chronicle

– Michael Foot (former leader of the Labour Party) was once editor of the Tribune newspaper

– The Sporting Life (printed 1859-1998) was the late Queen Mother’s favourite paper

– Rupert Bear is the longest running cartoon character in a British newspaper first appearing in the Daily Express on 8th November 1920 where he still appears today

– The British Gazette newspaper was printed by the Government during the General Strike of 1926 and was edited by Winston Churchill

– Winston Churchill was acting as war correspondent for the Morning Post newspaper in 1899 during the Boer War when he was captured – his subsequent escape from the prison camp made him a national hero

Newspaper Facts

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More Newspaper Facts

Newspaper Facts

– Evening newspapers are the best way to read the news from the day itself

– Newspapers prefer to be stored in a cool, damp and dark environment – therefore our storage location in Scotland is ideal!

– UK national newspapers did not use to be printed on Good Friday (Easter) and the Financial Times still does not print on Good Friday

– Newspapers in the 1940s have less pages than newspapers from the 1930s due to a shortage of newsprint in the 1940s as a result of the Second World War

– Newspaper titles change over the years and a title of the past is generally very different from its counterpart today. Most papers were broadsheets with greater and more serious journalistic content. The Sunday People for example was a highly-regarded broadsheet 50 years ago that was not that different than the more serious broadsheets of today

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frequently asked questions

Newspaper Books

What are newspaper books?

Each of our Newspaper Books are created with copies of authentic newspapers from specific dates or categories. Each book allows you to choose from various cover colours and designs, and to make it truly special by personalising it with a name and dedication, printed right in the book.

With Newspaper Date books you choose a specific date, for example a birthdate, and we'll create a book containing the front page for the specified date for every subsequent year since. For example, a date of July 13th, 1978, would contain the front page for July 13th for each year forward.

Our History books offer a glimpse into the past, bringing together headlines and articles relating to some of history's most fascinating or iconic events. Choose from Military History, British Royal History, and World Events; each book revisits key events, all through the eyes of the reporters who were there.

If Sports History is more your interest, you can revisit key matches, events, tournaments and races from decades past. Select your favourite team from Football, Hockey, Rugby, and more, and relive every glorious moment through the magic of print.

And, Pop Culture fans won't be left out - get an all access pass and revisit events in Music, Film, & TV. Relive the history of Classic Rock, Star Wars, Taylor Swift, and more, all through newspaper headlines.

Note that each of our Newspaper Books contain true copies of real newspaper content. We don't edit, change, or censor what was originally included in each paper. This means that each book will reflect the true history as it was printed, good or bad.

Personalising Newspaper Books
How does personalisation work?

As you create your Newspaper book, you'll be prompted to personalise it in a few different ways.

First, you'll be able to choose from a selection of cover colours, as well as a cover design. Simply click the options available, and you'll see the image update to match your selection, helping you to choose your favourite.

In addition to the look of your cover, you're also able to add the recipient's name, which will be printed right on the front cover. You can see how this looks in the example images on our website, it appears right next to the words "Presented To"

And finally, a special dedication is printed right inside the book. You can opt to use or add to our pre-written sentiment, or write your very own from scratch.



Does it have to be personalised?

At this time, there isn't any way to create one of our newspaper books without a First Name. It's a request we've shared with our product team, but at the moment don't know when this option might be available.

Please note that anything that is entered into the recipient's name box will print exactly as it's entered. This means that writing 'no personalisation' for example, will result in your book printing with that showing on the cover.

If you prefer not to use a first name, we suggest using a phrase related to your chosen book. For example for writing "A big fan", or using nickname or relationship, such as "My Partner", or simply "You" or "Me"

Original Newspapers
What are Original Newspapers?

Our Original Newspapers are just that - authentic, original papers that were once hot off the press and sold at actual newsstands in the UK and US. Each paper is stored in our archive of over 3 million newspapers, dating back to the early 1900's and featuring 100s of editions.


What can I expect with my paper?

When you purchase one of our original newspapers, our team of archivists will carefully review your paper page by page. Being careful to examine and press each paper flat, they'll also repair any flaws and reinforce the paper as necessary with a special archival repair tape. This work ensures the paper you receive will be strong enough to enjoy for years to come.

Note that as these are real newspapers and not replicas, you'll be holding a piece of treasured history in your hands, one that others may have enjoyed throughout the decades before you. While our team takes care to ensure that each paper is suitable for gifting, due to the nature of newspapers and time itself, there may be minor flaws or imperfections, or signs of age.


I can't find what I'm looking for, do you have more in stock?

To see what options are available, visit our Original Newspapers Page and enter in your desired date. Upon clicking 'search' you'll see any editions available to order, clicking 'select' will allow you to view the price for the paper you've selected, as well as various gift box options available. Newspapers are priced based on age, rarity, and special historic events, and can vary between editions.

Please note that every newspaper within our archive is catalogued and listed. If no results appear or the edition you were hoping to see is not listed, and the date you've entered is more than 2 weeks ago, we unfortunately do not have any items in stock, and are not likely to receive more at a future time.

Gifting
Can I send a gift directly to the recipient

Yes indeed! Both our Newspaper Books and Our Original Newspapers make incredible gifts for the special people in your life.

While placing your order you'll have the option to add a special gift box, which your item will be carefully placed inside prior to packaging and shipping.


For our Newspaper Books, you can also include a special dedication which will be printed directly in the book you've created - free of charge.


During checkout, you'll be able to enter in the recipient's shipping address, separately from your billing one. And, we never include any pricing or invoices within the parcels themselves, so the recipient won't see those details at all.


Note that at this time we're unable to include any gift notes or separate gift messages within the orders.

Placing an Order

Add content here...What happens when I place an order?

Once your order has been placed, the details are immediately sent to our workshops for processing.

If you've ordered an Original Newspaper, our team of Archivists in our warehouse located in Western Scotland will carefully pick, examine, prepare, and package your order.


If you've ordered a Newspaper Book, details for your customised book will be sent directly to our Printhouse located in the United Kingdom, where an automated printing process will print, trim, bind, and cure you book before it is carefully packaging it for shipping.

Note that as our orders are processed very soon after they're received, we are not able to make any changes or amendments, or cancel any orders.

Returns, Cancellation, and Edit Policies

Due to the automated nature of our order processing, we're unable to make changes or amendments to an order once it's been completed, nor are we able to cancel orders once after they've been placed.

For information about our Returns Policy, please visit this link >> HERE