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Today we commemorate the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings.On 6 June 1944, Allied forces invaded Normandy which was, at that point, occupied by the German Army. It is estimated that over 8,000 people lost their lives on this one day.D-Day reported in British newspapersNews of the invasion reached British newspapers during the day on 6 June 1944, so you’ll find initial reports in late editions or in the copies published the following day.Explore D-Day reports in local newspapersHere’s a…

Gill Hoffs, author of The Sinking of RMS Tayleur: The Lost Story of the ‘Victorian Titanic’ used The British Newspaper Archive extensively for her research. She got in touch to tell us the touching story of the ‘Ocean Child’.We’d love to hear about what you’ve discovered too – email [email protected]**************Put simply, my book could not have been written without The British Newspaper Archive. The 1854 disaster made headlines around the world, but has since been largely forgotten. It was the…

Guglielmo Marconi applied for a patent for his new invention – the radio – on 2 June 1896. The British and Irish newspapers available online at The British Newspaper Archive reveal just how popular it became.You can explore thousands of adverts for Marconi radios like these, published up until the 1950s.Oh! Why don’t we get a Marconi? Dover Express – Friday 16 October 1936Image © Local World Limited. Image created courtesy of THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD.View the whole newspaper pageThe man behind your…

The FA Cup final on Saturday 17 May 2014 will see a showdown between Arsenal and Hull City. This is the first time Hull have reached the final.Hull City’s greatest achievement in cup competitions up to this point was in 1930, when they reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup. Rather strangely, they also faced Arsenal in that match.The British Newspaper Archive is a great place to research football history as you’ll find original match reports and reactions to the games.…

Roger Bannister became the first man to run a mile in under four minutes on 6 May 1954.You can search British newspapers from 1954 online at The British Newspaper Archive, so we took a look to see how the incredible feat was reported.‘Something typically British about this new world record’The Aberdeen Evening Express published an article about Roger Bannister the following day, proudly stating that ‘Britain’s great mile-runner has achieved the ambition of all athletes; he has broken the four-minute…

Geoff Dibb, author of Oscar Wilde – A Vagabond with a Mission, got in touch to tell us about his research and how The British Newspaper Archive has helped.We’d love to hear about your own research experiences – email [email protected] to tell us your story.**************Researching Oscar Wilde in librariesI began researching Oscar Wilde’s lecture tours of Britain and Ireland after reading a letter from Wilde, written while lecturing in Leeds. I live about 10 miles south and was amazed that…

The WW1 Gallipoli Campaign began on 25 April 1915, resulting in the loss of approximately 50,000 men from Australia, Britain, France and New Zealand.A poignant letter from an attending nurse was sent to an Australian woman living in London and printed in the Tamworth Herald.‘It breaks my heart to see them’The letter describes the nurse’s work at the Dardanelles during World War One and includes this incredibly moving comment:‘It’s a sad time for us all, but you can be…

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…