A History of The Sun

the sun original newspaper archive

The Sun sells more copies than any other daily newspaper in the United Kingdom and at its peak in the mid-1990s, the Sun regularly sold over 4,000,000 copies a day. Original copies of the newspaper can be found in the Sun archive, letting you read about past news events from the date of your choice.


Early History: The Daily Herald Years

The forerunner of the Sun newspaper was the Daily Herald, launched on 25th January 1911. The Daily Herald was initially an independent left wing paper, printed periodically during strike periods to offer its unconditional support to the strikers. The Daily Herald was printed in Manchester daily between January and April in 1911 and then from 15th April 1912 until 1914. The newspaper was printed weekly for the next five years before resuming daily production from 1919.

The Daily Herald became the official newspaper of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) in 1922 and thus supported the Labour Party. In 1930, the TUC sold 51% of the Daily Herald to Odhams Press, publisher of The People. The Daily Herald subsequently became the first UK paper to sell over two million copies daily, making it the biggest selling newspaper in the world at that time.

Odhams was acquired by Daily Mirror Newspapers Ltd in 1961 and formed the International Publishing Corporation (IPC) on 31st December 1962. This became the world’s largest publishing enterprise. The TUC sold their remaining forty-nine percent shareholding in 1964, allowing IPC to re-launch the Daily Herald as ‘The Sun‘.

daily herald original newspaper archive

The Daily Herald front page, the forerunner to the Sun

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The Emergence of The Sun

The first edition of the Sun was printed on 15th September 1964. This was the first time that a new daily paper had been published in the UK for 34 years. The newspaper was printed in broadsheet format with an orange logo, emerging during the rapidly changing world of the 1960s. Thus the front page announced:

“The Sun is politically free. It will not automatically support or censure any party or any Government. It is an independent paper designed to serve and inform all those whose lives are changing, improving, expanding in these hurrying years.”

the sun newspaper 1964

The Sun newspaper, September 15, 1964
Image: Needpix

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Rupert Murdoch

On 15th November 1969, the newspaper was acquired by Rupert Murdoch, following an unsuccessful bid by Robert Maxwell. Two days after purchasing the paper, Murdoch re-launched the Sun in tabloid format. He also installed the Sun as the sister paper to the News of the World, which was printed on Sundays. The two newspapers maintained their link up until the closure of the News of the World in 2011, and remained owned by the News Corporation Group under Rupert Murdoch until this time.

When the Sun was acquired by Rupert Murdoch, the Sun’s layout and use of colour copied its rival the Daily Mirror, with a red and white masthead and change in format. The first glamour model appeared on page 3 on 17th November 1970, along with other taboo features that sparked reactions of distaste in parliament.

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The Sun Today

The Sun newspaper moved to full colour production for the first time on 28th January 2008 with the opening of three new printing plants. In 2012, the Sun began printing a Sunday newspaper which replaced the recently-closed News of the World newspaper.

Some journalists who worked for the News of the World were employed to run the Sunday edition. Its average circulation in January 2019 reached 1,178,687. Today, the Sun is definitely recognisable with its use of colour and large inclusion of photos. The paper focuses on sensational journalism with celebrity stories and real-life issues, intending to shock readers with its content.

The Sun is part of News Group Newspapers, which is a subsidiary of News International. This company is owned by the News Corporation Group, headed by world media tycoon Rupert Murdoch. The newspaper is printed from Monday to Saturday in tabloid format.

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Political Stance

The paper has a record of supporting the governing party in the UK, although traditionally it is generally considered to have a centre-right political allegiance. The Sun supported the centre-left Labour Party during Tony Blair’s last three General Election wins, changing allegiance to him on 18th March 1997.

In 1978, the Sun switched allegiance to the Conservative Party under Margaret Thatcher. This was a sensational move for the newspaper given its old background as the Daily Herald. It continued to support the Conservative Party under John Major and on the day of the General Election (9th April 1992) the front page of the Sun featured the headline:

“If Kinnock wins today will the last person to leave Britain please turn out the lights.”

The Sun’s campaign is widely credited with helping John Major to win the election and thus on 11th April 1992, the newspaper ran with the headline: “It’s the Sun wot won it.”

the sun original newspaper archive

The Sun newspaper front page

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Reporting of the Hillsborough Disaster

The Sun has also been involved in many controversies, in particular its coverage of the 1989 Hillsborough football stadium disaster. Due to its claim that Liverpool fans had pick-pocketed victims of the incident, many newsagents and readers in Liverpool boycotted the newspaper. This led to a 75% decrease in sales in the city, and the newspaper never fully recovered from this incident. In turn, the Sun was forced to apologise for its negative portrayal of Liverpool fans.

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Circulation of The Sun

Date Circulation
1966 1,238,000
1976 3,708,000
1980 3,741,000
1987 3,993,000
1992 3,570,562
1997 3,877,097
2000 3,557,336
2005 3,382,509
2010 3,006,565
2015 1,978,702
2020 1,206,595

From 2000-2009, the Sun was the top circulating newspaper in the UK, but since 2010 has been taken over by the Metro. The newspaper reached peak circulation in 1987 and began steadily declining after this year, with a 1,027,863 drop between 2010 and 2015.

Despite circulation numbers dropping, the Sun reached its largest-ever online audience in 2019, with 33.9 million unique visitors in July. In 2018, it overtook the Mail Online to become the largest newsbrand online in the UK.

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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