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At 10am on 27 August 1883, the volcano on Krakatoa erupted with four massive explosions, which virtually destroyed the entire island.It’s estimated that the explosions and tidal waves killed at least 36,000 people.The explosions at Krakatoa are considered to be the loudest in history, and it’s claimed that the explosions were heard up to a distance of 3,000 miles.Included below is an early newspaper report on the disaster, and also some illustrations of the island.Morning Post – Thursday 30 August 1883Image © THE…

We do love the many wonderful advice columns that can be found in the British Newspaper Archive.Perhaps it was all the time we spent poring over the problem pages in teenage magazines when we were stroppy and spotty adolescents that led to our ongoing obsession with agony aunts, agony uncles and, er, agony vicars.Yes, agony vicars! For our favourite type of advice column in the BNA at the moment are the gems of wisdom that were offered by…

On 25 August 1942, Prince George, Duke of Kent, was killed when the Sutherland Flying Boat in which he was travelling to Iceland crashed into a hillside in Caithness, Scotland – he was 39.The Duke of Kent was the younger brother of George VI and Edward VIII, and had been fifth in line to the UK throne.Sadly, his wife, the Duchess of Kent, had given birth to their third child, Prince Michael of Kent, just seven weeks before the crash.Included below…

On 24 and 25 August 1875, Captain Matthew Webb, a master mariner from Dawley in Shropshire, became the first person to swim the English Channel.He swam from Dover to Calais, and completed the swim in 21 hours and 45 minutes.Included below are two newspaper stories (published the day after his epic swim) that report on this historic feat.Dundee Courier – Thursday 26 August 1875Image © THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000162/18750826/020/0003Staffordshire Sentinel – Thursday 26 August 1875Image © THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.…

The BNA is a cornucopia of weird and wonderful stories.Truly, the Archive leaves us open-mouthed with its never-ending supply of stories – it really is like having your own online Scheherazade.The latest story that made us shake our heads in wonder and amazement is this report about the craze for ‘tortoise bling’ in Paris, during the finals years of the 19th Century.Our ‘O’ Level French is a wee bit weak and outdated, but we think this is what…

Sir Oliver Joseph Lodge, the Penkhull-born physicist and writer who was a pioneer in the field of wireless telegraphy, died in Lake, Wiltshire, on 22 August 1940 – he was 89.After losing his son, Raymond, in World War One, Lodge became interested in spiritualism. This newspaper story (published the day after Oliver died) contains a very interesting summary of his scientific work, and also includes a fascinating outline of how he planned to contact people from ‘the other side’ via a ‘sealed message’.…

William Booth, the Methodist preacher from Sneinton in Nottingham who founded the Salvation Army, died in London on 20 August 1912 – he was 83.To mark the day, here is a detailed newspaper obituary of William Booth that was published in ‘The Western Times’ on 23 August 1912.Western Times – Friday 23 August 1912Image © Northcliffe Media Limited. Image created courtesy of THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD.http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000265/19120823/010/0006…

At the Crystal Palace in London on 17 August 1896, Bridget Driscoll of Croydon became the first pedestrian in the UK to be killed by a motor car – she was 44.Read newspaper reports about the accidentHere is a newspaper story about the accident and also a report on the coroner’s inquest.Western Times – Wednesday 19 August 1896Image © THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.View the whole newspaper pageSheffield Daily Telegraph – Friday 21 August 1896Image © THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.…

Edith Nesbit (aka E. Nesbit), author of ‘The Railway Children’ novel, was born in Kennington, Surrey, on 15 August 1858.Nesbit created one of the most wonderful characters in children’s literature: the Psammead.Included below is a brief description of the Psammead., from a newspaper published in 1902.We believe that the Psammead is a creature that will appeal to kids of all ages.Sheffield Daily Telegraph – Thursday 06 November 1902Image © THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000250/19021106/001/0003…

As supporters of the theory that modern professional football started ‘going to the dogs’ when dogs somehow stopped running on to the pitch, we always like to hear stories about “the working people’s ballet” when fans were bunneted and players were brilliantined.So when Kjell Hanssen got in touch to tell us about the research he is doing in the BNA on the early history of Liverpool FC, we were all ears. A former regular through the turnstiles at the…