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Category: Newspapers

Fighters from Mars title illustration in New York Evening Journal that appeared at the beginning of each installment

H.G. Wells’ Fighters from Mars?

Posted by: Mike Queen

Does that title above look a little off to you? It should. H.G. Wells’ science fiction classic War of the Worlds has been adapted many times since the novel’s original released in 1898. Fighters from Mars, however, is one of the earliest versions serialized in a newspaper or magazine and is most definitely not a …

Black and white image of Nellie Bly, newspaper journalist, in a Victorian-style, houndstooth button-down dress holding a handbag in her left hand and a hat in her right hand.

“Behind Asylum Bars:” Nellie Bly Reporting from Blackwell’s Island.

Posted by: Amber Paranick

“Could I pass a week in the insane ward at Blackwell’s Island? I said I could and I would. And I did.” In 1887, investigative journalist for the New York World newspaper Nellie Bly went undercover to expose the dreadful conditions at the Women’s Lunatic Asylum, a mental institution on Blackwell’s Island. Read more about Bly’s fearless investigation and how her work forever changed the field of journalism.

Illustration of men and women at a party drinking cocktails.

11 Historic Newspaper Cocktails

Posted by: Thomas Beheler

Cheers! Here are some vintage cocktail recipes, all of them brought to you by our historic newspaper archive, Chronicling America.  1. The Insidious Punch of Washington This drink is one of the oldest ones on the list at more than 135 years old! You can see the recipe here, but generally,  you’ll mix one part …

Murder in Lafayette Square

Posted by: Heather Thomas

On a peaceful Sunday in 1859 in the nation's capital, Congressman Daniel E. Sickles shot and killed U.S. District Attorney Philip Barton Key in broad daylight on Lafayette Square. The murder and subsequent trial captivated antebellum America and sparked nationwide debates about male honor, female virtue, insanity, and the rule of law.

three cats walking

7 Random Cat Facts

Posted by: Thomas Beheler

If you’re like me, then you can never get enough cats! Here are seven random facts about our furry feline friends, many of which we’ve brought to you from our historical newspaper archive, Chronicling America. 1. Cats at Sea! Friend or Foe? While cats were once valuable to sailors as “mousers” (because they caught mice) …