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On 1 September 1939, Nazi Germany invaded Poland.Here are two newspaper stories – published on 1 September 1939 – that report on the invasion.Image © Local World Limited. Image created courtesy of THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD.…

On 31 August 1869, Mary Ward (nee King) became the first person to die in a car accident in Ireland and Great Britain. The terrible accident occurred in County Offaly in Ireland.  Mary Ward, along with Captain the Honourable Henry Ward, Honourable Randal and Clare Parsons, were travelling on a road locomotive steam-engine when it turned a sharp corner leading to Cumberland Street near Parsonstown.  The sharp turn caused Mrs Ward to fall forward to the ground and the vehicle drove over…

On 29 August 1782, HMS Royal George sank with the loss of more than 800 lives, while undergoing routine maintenance work at Spithead, by Portsmouth.HMS Royal George was the largest warship in the world at the time of her launch in 1756, and her sudden sinking remains one of the worst disasters ever to take place in UK waters.To mark the day, here are two newspaper articles from August 1782 that report on the tragedy – the second article is a letter written by…

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…