Articles by The BNA

On 15 June 1785, Jean-Francois Pilatre de Rozier and Pierre Romain died when their hot air balloon (it was a mixture of hydrogen and hot air) exploded while they were attempting to cross the English Channel.Read newspaper reports about the accidentTo mark their bravery in attempting such a feat, we’ve posted a contemporary newspaper report about the tragedy.Derby Mercury – Thursday 16 June 1785Image © THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.View the whole newspaper pageRead other newspaper reports about

The Armagh railway disaster took place on 12 June 1889 with the loss of 80 lives.The accident happened after the engine stalled on a steep hill, and the crew decided to split the train in two in order to negotiate the steep incline.Tragically, the second half of the train was not properly braked, and it ran back down the hill and collided with an oncoming train.At the time, this was the worst rail disaster that had occurred in the UK

On 11 June 1936, the International Surrealist Exhibition opened at the New Burlington Galleries in London.Althought it’s a cliche, the International Surrealist Exhibition was very much a surreal event.To give you a feel for how the concept of surrealism was received in England in the 1930s, here are two newspaper reports about the exhibition.Gloucestershire Echo – Friday 12 June 1936Image © Northcliffe Media Limited. Image created courtesy of THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD.http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000320/19360612/043/0004Nottingham Evening Post – Thursday 11 June 1936Image © Northcliffe Media Limited.

Frederick Delius, the Bradford-born composer who was famous for the lyricism of his musical compositions, died in Grez, France, on 10 June 1934, aged 72.To mark the day, here is a newspaper tribute to Delius that was published the day after the composer died.Aberdeen Journal – Monday 11 June 1934Image © D.C.Thomson & Co. Ltd. Image created courtesy of THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD.http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000577/19340611/087/0007Western Daily Press – Monday 11 June 1934Image © Northcliffe Media Limited. Image created courtesy of THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD.http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000513/19340611/138/0012

Charles John Huffam Dickens (aka ‘Boz’) died at Gad’s Hill Place in Higham, Kent, on June 1870, aged 58.To mark the day, we thought we’d wear a red geranium (his favourite flower) and post this warm newspaper tribute to the passing of ‘Boz’.Berkshire Chronicle – Saturday 11 June 1870Image © THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000358/18700611/046/0008The Graphic – Saturday 18 June 1870Image © THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000057/18700618/031/0022

George Sand (Amantine Lucile Aurore Dupin), the French novelist and lover of Chopin, died in In Nohant-Vic on 8 June 1876, aged 71.Here is a newspaper obituary and tribute to Madame Sand – published just six days after her death – that provides a fascinating account of her life and writing.Glasgow Herald – Wednesday 14 June 1876Image © THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000060/18760614/009/0004The Graphic – Saturday 17 June 1876Image © THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000057/18760617/031/0020

‘Operation Overlord began in the early hours of Tuesday 6 June 1944.As you can imagine, the Archive contains 1,000s of stories about the Battle for Normandy.To mark this momentous day in world history, here is the front page of a regional evening newspaper published on 6 June 1944 (it reads almost like a telegram), and also some other contemporary newspaper reports about D-Day – including a map showing the main theatres of fighting.Essex Newsman – Tuesday 06 June 1944Image © Northcliffe Media Limited. Image created

O. Henry (aka William Sidney Porter), the brilliant short story writer, died in New York City on 5 June 1910, aged only 47.His stories were famed for their wit, dazzling wordplay and endings with a clever twist.To mark the day, we’ve posted two stories from the Archive about O. Henry. The first story reports on the passing of O. Henry, while the second story is a fascinating article on where the writer found his stories.Hull Daily Mail – Tuesday 07 June 1910Image ©

At the Epsom Derby on 4 June 1913, Emily Wilding Davison, an activist in the Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU), ran out on to the racecourse in an apparent attempt to attach the suffragette colours to the King’s horse, ‘Amner’.Tragically, the terrible injuries that she sustained in the collision with the horse and jockey, led to her death four days later – she never recovered consciousness.To celebrate her tremendous courage and her committed activism for the WSPU, here is an

‘All is for the best in the best of all possible worlds’Voltaire (aka Francois-Marie Arouet), writer, philosopher, historian and creator of the Panglossian character type, died in Paris on 30 May 1778, aged 83.The Archive contains 100s of interesting newspaper stories about Voltaire so, to mark the day, here’s an excellent newspaper article from July 1778 that offers a wonderful insight into Voltaire’s character.Hampshire Chronicle – Monday 06 July 1778Image © THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000230/17780706/008/0004The Graphic – Saturday 15 June 1878Image ©