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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…

On 15 August 1914, the SS Ancon became the first ship to sail through the Panama Canal.To mark this historic moment, here are three newspaper stories from August 1914 that report on the opening of the Panama Canal.You can also read our blog post about the building of the Suez Canal.Western Daily Press – Monday 17 August 1914Image © Northcliffe Media Limited. Image created courtesy of THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD.http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000264/19140817/063/0005Newcastle Journal – Tuesday 18 August 1914Image © Trinity Mirror. Image created courtesy of THE…

On 30 November 1872, Scotland played England in the first ever official international football match.The match was played on St Andrew’s Day at the West of Scotland Cricket Club ground at Hamilton Crescent in Partick, Glasgow, and 5,000 fans watched the game.Although the game ended 0-0, those of a tartan persuasion will very likely tell you that Scotland should have won by a barrowload and that, indeed, it was grand ‘moral victory’ for Scotland. Hmm, perhaps.Included below are some newspaper reports…

Eugene Delacroix, the leader of the French Romantic school of painters, died in Paris on 13 August 1863, aged 65.To mark the day, here is a fascinating article (published on 19 August 1863) about Delacroix’s life and art, including a report on how he was nearly killed on three separate occasions before he had even reached the age of three.Liverpool Daily Post – Wednesday 19 August 1863Image © THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000197/18630819/003/0003…

On 10 August 1792, the Paris Mob stormed the Tuileries Palace and arrested Louis XVI, killing the King’s Swiss Guards in the process.Here is a newspaper story published on 18 August 1792 that reports on this bloody and historic moment in French history.Caledonian Mercury – Saturday 18 August 1792Image © THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000045/17920818/007/0002…

We were greatly moved by the story of Charles Ronald Driver (Minnie Driver’s father) in this week’s episode of ‘Who Do You Think You Are?’Here is a newspaper report that contains the story about her father’s bravery at the Battle of Heligoland Bight in 1939.Hull Daily Mail – Friday 29 December 1939Image © Northcliffe Media Limited. Image created courtesy of THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD.http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000324/19391229/077/0006…

‘At a quarter-to-twelve today, Jack Hobb scored his 54,897th run in first-class cricket, and thus surpassed W.G. Grace’s aggregate of 54,896 runs.’At Kennington Oval on 9 August 1930, the Surrey and England batsman, Jack Hobbs (‘The Master’), made cricket history by passing W.G. Grace’s aggregate record of 54,896 runs made in first-class cricket.Five years previously, Hobbes made his 126th century, thus passing another milestone record set by W.G. Grace.Here is a newspaper story from 9 August 1930 that reports on this historic moment…

We stumbled upon another terrific article from the Victorian era regarding the art and joys (or otherwise) of etiquette.This article is especially interesting, as it highlights differences in the appliance (and non-appliance) of etiquette between the UK and the USA. The article also touches on a theme that is very dear to our hearts: etiquette in shops.So if you’re interested in what the Victorians thought about the behaviour of their shop workers, and if you’d like to compare…