The British Newspaper, 1901-1950

The British Newspaper, 1901-1950

The Daily Mirror 2 November 1903
British Library Newspaper Library
Copyright ©1999, The British Library Board

• 1902 - Jan 17 : Times Literary Supplement launched.
• 1903 - Nov 2 : Daily Mirror launched by Harmsworth. First daily illustrated exclusively with photographs.
• 1907 : National Union of Journalists founded.
• 1908 - Nov 14 : Illustrated Weekly Budget launched: 'The only 1d newspaper in the world printed in colour'. Only seven issues published.
• 1909 - March 2 : Daily Sketch launched. Merged with the Daily Mail in 1971.
• 1911 : Copyright Act.
• 1911 - Jan 25 : Daily Herald launched. First newspaper to sell two million copies.
• 1913 - April 12 : New Statesman founded by Sidney Webb.
• 1914 - March 11 : First half-tone in the Times: a 4 by 3 inch picture of the Rokeby Venus, damaged in a Suffragette demonstration.
• 1915 : 'Teddy Tail' - first British comic strip - in the Daily Mail.
• 1915 - March 14 : Sunday Pictorial launched by Rothermere. Became Sunday Mirror in 1963.
• 1916 : Daily Express bought by Max Aitken (later Lord Beaverbrook).
• 1918 - Dec 29 : Sunday Express launched.
• 1922 - Aug 14 : Death of Lord Northcliffe.
• 1924 - Nov 2 : First crossword in a British newspaper, in the Sunday Express.
• 1926 - May : Most newspapers suspended during the General Strike. Government publishes British Gazette; TUC publishes British Worker.
• 1930 - Jan 1 : Daily Worker launched. Became Morning Star in 1966.
• 1930 - Feb 1 : First Times crossword.
• 1930 - June 2 : News Chronicle formed by the merger of the Daily News and the Daily Chronicle. Merged with Daily Mail in 1960.
• 1931 : Audit Bureau of Circulations formed.
• 1932 - Aug 23 : British Museum Newspaper Library opened at Colindale in North London.
• 1934 - Oct 18 : Daily Mail publishes the first photograph to be transmitted by beam radio (from Melbourne to London).
• 1938 - Oct 1 : Picture Post launched by Edward Hulton. Ceased publication in 1957.
• 1940 : Newsprint rationing introduced.
• 1940 - Nov 26 : Death of Lord Rothermere.
• 1941 : Daily Worker and Week suppressed.
• 1947 : First Royal Commission on the Press.

Sunday Pictorial 14 March 1915
British Library Newspaper Library
Copyright ©1999, The British Library Board