This week at The Archive we are proud to announce that we have passed another milestone, that of 76 million pages, which are now all available to search as part of our collection. Meanwhile, we’ve added four brand new titles from Aberdeenshire, Lincolnshire, Sussex and Yorkshire this week, as a total of 261,211 brand new pages have joined us over the last seven days. As part of our push to hit 76 million pages, we’ve updated 10 of our existing titles from across England and Scotland. So, from Fleetwood to Forfar, from Montrose to Morpeth, from Scarborough to Sussex, discover which of our exis ..read more

This week at The Archive we are welcoming five brand new titles, including the fascinating Prisoners of War News, which sheds a light on those servicemen held captive behind enemy lines during the Second World War. Meanwhile, we have added an impressive 292,085 brand new pages to our collection this week, as we move ever closer to our next landmark of 75 million pages. Furthermore, from Bridlington to Broughty Ferry, from Halifax to Hartlepool, from St Andrews to Sheffield, we’ve updated 17 of our existing titles from across England and Scotland. So read on to discover more about our new and ..read more

In the 1940s the jitterbug, a type of swing dancing that was pioneered by African American communities in New York during the early twentieth century, took the United Kingdom by storm. The energetic dance, which featured elements of the jive, the charleston, and other swing dances, divided Britain, with it being embraced by those who flocked to dancehalls up and down the country, whilst others viewed it as a morally dangerous American import. Joan Crawford and Allen Jenkins perform the jitterbug in They All Kissed The Bride | The Sketch | 21 October 1942 In this special blog, using newspapers ..read more

American-born jazz age superstar Adelaide Hall (1901-1993) was a Black music legend, who from 1938 onwards made Britain her home. She went on to have a long and successful career in the UK. In this very special blog, as part of Black History Month on The Archive, we will celebrate this jazz age queen who came to Britain and entertained thousands of people via her stage and radio performances, using newspapers taken from our Archive. Adelaide Hall | Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News | 28 June 1940 A Star Is Born To go back to the beginning of Adelaide Hall’s remarkable life, we’re going t ..read more

The aristocratic Mitford sisters – Nancy, Pamela, Diana, Unity, Jessica and Deborah – hit the headlines throughout their lifetimes, with tales of scandal and intrigue filling the pages of the press from the 1920s and beyond. Four of the Mitford sisters, from left to right: Nancy, Unity, Jessica and Diana | The Sketch | 6 January 1932 Born to David Freeman-Mitford, 2nd Baron Redesdale, and his wife Sydney, alongside brother Thomas, the Mitford sisters often shocked society, whether it be through their political views, or their private lives. In this special blog, we shall unravel the remarkabl ..read more

It’s the most romantic time of the year, and to celebrate Valentine’s Day, we’ve selected twelve of the most romantic marriage proposals from our Archive. From wartime proposals, to engagements formed at the opera, our newspapers showcase romance from across the ages. ‘A Story Without Words – A Proposal of Marriage – Part III’ | The Graphic | 1 December 1890 So without any further ado, let’s launch into our list of the twelve most romantic marriage proposals from our newspapers, beginning in 1898 and going all the way up to the 1960s. Register now and explore the Archive 1. A Proposal At The ..read more

A walk along Piccadilly in the black-out is one of the many queer experiences of this war. The once brilliant centre of London’s night life is now as dark as any forest, and indeed, like a forest, the darkness is full of rustlings and whisperings, of half-seen shapes, and of a sinister feeling of eager, but invisible, life. Daily Herald | 26 April 1940 So began a Daily Herald article on blackout crime in London during the Second World War. With blackouts imposed across the United Kingdom in a bid to keep German bombers at bay, so came the opportunity for criminals to commit their dark deeds ..read more

As a result of the Second World War, over 60,000 British women married American soldiers (colloquially known as GIs), many of them returning with their new husbands to live in the United States once the war ended. ‘An American soldier in London marries an English girl’ – Miss Betty Boston from Shepherd’s Bush marries Walter Ridenhour from Cooleemee, North Carolina | The Sphere | 30 October 1943 In this special blog, we are going to take a look at how the so-called GI brides were reported on by the press of the United Kingdom. We will examine how they faced warnings over their choice of husban ..read more

As part of Black History Month this October, we have taken a look at the extraordinary life of Learie Constantine (1901-1971), a cricketer from Trinidad who would go on to become the United Kingdom’s first ever Black peer. Learie Constantine | Illustrated London News | 9 March 1968 The first player to take a Test match wicket for the West Indies, and described as one of the best all-round cricketers the world has ever seen, Learie Constantine’s career extended beyond sport, as he fought tirelessly against racial discrimination, as he became a writer, broadcaster ..read more

From South Shields to Saint Lucia, from Carmarthen to Canada, we’ve added 155,351 brand new pages to The Archive this week, spanning over 180 years of headlines. Furthermore, we’ve updated eighteen of our existing titles, with updates covering our regional titles from England, Scotland and Wales, as well as some of our international titles from Canada and the Caribbean. So read on to discover more about our updated titles of the week, as well as to learn about the bombing of a newspaper premises in South Shields during the Second World War, and how the newspaper still made it t ..read more