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John Thomson, the Kirkcaldy-born goalkeeper for Celtic and the Scotland, died on 5 September 1931, after suffering a fractured skull in an accidental collision with Sam English of Rangers – Thomson was 22 years old.Around 30,000 people attended Thomson’s funeral in Cardenden, Fife – many of whom had walked the 55 miles from Glasgow.To mark one of the saddest days in the history of Scottish football, here are some photos of John Thomson.Quem di diligunt, adulescens moritur.Dundee Courier – Monday 07 September 1931Image © D.C.Thomson & Co.…

Edward Grieg, the Norwegian composer famous for composing the music for Ibsen’s Peer Gynt, died in Bergen on 4 September 1907 – he was 64.To mark the day, here is a fascinating newspaper story that reports on Grieg’s death and also highlights the composer’s Scottish ancestry.Evening Telegraph – Thursday 05 September 1907Image © D.C.Thomson & Co. Ltd. Image created courtesy of THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD.http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000563/19070905/025/0002The Graphic – Saturday 02 March 1889Image © THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000057/18890302/024/0013…

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…