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WW1 editions of the Evening Despatch now onlineThe Evening Despatch was published in Birmingham throughout World War One. Over 4,000 pages from newspapers published in 1915, 1917 and 1918 have just been made available to search online.Search the Evening Despatch  Newspaper pages added every weekThousands of extra pages are added to The British Newspaper Archive each week. We’ll be adding more from the Evening Despatch soon, so be sure to check the recent additions regularly.See what’s been added in the…

Search The British Newspaper Archive for the words ‘April Fool’ and you’ll find hundreds of examples of ‘hilarious’ pranks that were staged on 1 April in the past. We’ve selected our favourites for you to enjoy.WW1 football ‘bomb’A ‘bomb’ was dropped on German troops during the First World War. After scrambling to take cover, the men discovered it was actually a football with the words ‘April fool!’ written on it.View the whole newspaper pageCoventry Evening Telegraph – Friday 16…

English writer Virginia Woolf committed suicide on 28 March 1941. She struggled with depression and was deeply affected by the Second World War.‘I cannot go on’Woolf left a touching note for her husband, saying ‘I owe all my happiness to you, but cannot go on and spoil your life’.Read the full transcript of her letter, as printed in the Gloucestershire Echo:View the whole newspaper pageGloucestershire Echo – Saturday 19 April 1941Image © Local World Limited. Image created courtesy of THE…

The slave trade was abolished in the British Empire on this day in 1807.The Bury and Norwich Post reported that the Bishop of Landaff thought slavery was ‘so barbarous and inhumane that the abolition of it would be recorded in Heaven.’Bury and Norwich Post – Wednesday 01 April 1807Image © THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.View the whole newspaper page…

The 30 mph speed limit was introduced in built-up areas of Britain on 18 March 1935.Not everybody appreciated the new signs – newspapers reported that eight signs were fished out of a pond a week later!View the whole newspaper pageNottingham Evening Post – Friday 29 March 1935Image © Local World Limited. Image created courtesy of THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD.…

Mary Richardson, a Suffragette, slashed the Rokeby Venus painting at the National Gallery 100 years ago today.Read the stirring speech she gave at her trial, explaining her actions:View the whole newspaper pageManchester Courier and Lancashire General Advertiser – Friday 13 March 1914Image © Local World Limited. Image created courtesy of THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD.…

A 19th-century police officer named Jerome Caminada died 100 years ago today. Angela Buckley, author of The Real Sherlock Holmes: The Hidden Story of Jerome Caminada, explains what newspapers can tell us about the detective’s incredible life.**************On 10 March 1914, just five days before his 70th birthday, Detective Jerome Caminada died at home. Born in the slums of Manchester, he had enjoyed an extraordinary career, earning him a place in history as one of the city’s finest police officers and a real-life…

Novelist Victor Hugo was born on 26 February 1802.In this review of Les Miserables, the Dublin Evening Mail stated that he was “almost the only French imaginative writer of the present century who is entitled to be considered as a man of genius.”Dublin Evening Mail – Friday 17 October 1862Image © THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.View the whole newspaper page…

Michelle Higgs, author of A Visitor’s Guide to Victorian England, got in touch to share this shocking story she found in The British Newspaper Archive.What have you found in the newspapers? Let us know by [email protected]**************Victorian Britain was a hazardous place to live, and not just because there was a potential accident around every corner. The trading standards and food hygiene we take for granted today simply didn’t exist, so shoppers often risked illness or even death…

Pluto was discovered on 18 February 1930, though the Nottingham Evening Post reported that the planet was very nearly given a different name.The article states that Atlas, Prometheus, Tempus, Marconi and even Percival were considered as potential names.Nottingham Evening Post – Thursday 10 April 1930Image © Local World Limited. Image created courtesy of THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD.View the whole newspaper page…