One of my favorite pastimes is reading old newspapers. Whether it’s online, actually holding the paper, or even scanning through microfiche for hours on end, I love seeing what was going on throughout history and how it was reported.
It’s endlessly fascinating! To me, at least.
Here are 15 newspaper covers from historic days throughout American history.
One note: the dates listed are the day the newspaper published, which don’t always match the day the incident took place.
Enjoy.
1. April 17, 1912: The Titanic sinks.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BS1Fv4ODaVA/
2. October 1, 1955: James Dean killed in a car wreck.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B3CUpTDACqx/
3. September 25, 1957: Troops escort nine African-American students into Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B21clloFJ2h/
4. September 16, 1963: Four little girls are killed in a church bombing in Birmingham, Alabama.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B2bsrLsHTED/
5. September 6, 1901: President William McKinley is shot by an assassin in Buffalo, New York.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B2EhkkkgsT9/
6. September 1, 1939: German troops invade Poland, marking the beginning of World War II.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B13pjMtAu4P/
7. August 6, 1962: Marilyn Monroe found dead in her home in Los Angeles.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B0yIIJ_g9Nc/
8. July 28, 1945: A plane crashes into the Empire State Building in New York City. 14 people eventually died.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B0dhucAgN1G/
9. July 23, 1934: “Public Enemy #1”, gangster John Dillinger is killed by police outside a movie theater in Chicago.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B0OFB4-gFPL/
10. November 22, 1963: President John F. Kennedy shot dead in Dallas
11. July 21, 1969: Neil Armstrong and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin become the first men to walk on the moon.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B0I7YvaA0kh/
12. July 12, 1914: Babe Ruth makes his big league baseball debut.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BzxwPhSnCtN/
13. July 3, 1937: Pilot Amelia Earhart goes missing at sea.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BzalAWTgkPR/
14. April 19, 1906: San Francisco is rocked by a massive earthquake that kills up to 3,000 people.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BwZdbNWAPog/
15. August 9, 1974: President Richard M. Nixon resigns.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BmQr-gTFIoG/
That’s what I call a trip down memory lane.
