Historical newspapers providing a unique view into more than 400 years of history

Gale Historical Newspapers supports in-depth scholarly research as a fully cross-searchable and cross-browseable portfolio of global historical newspapers and periodicals, providing access to more than 2,000 titles — from a single interface. 

View Gale's brochure on Media History, and download the catalog to get all the details on newly released collections in Gale Primary Sources.

Illustrated London News Historical Archive, 1842-2003

When first launched in 1842, the Illustrated London News marked a revolution in journalism and news reporting. It provided an unprecedented visual tour of the triumphs, tragedies, daily life, and monumental events of the world and the modern British Empire. The Illustrated London News Historical Archive, 1842-2003 is an invaluable asset to students and researchers of subjects including social history, fashion, drama, media, literature, advertising, graphic design, and politics, as well as to the general public, particularly those interested in genealogy.

International Herald Tribune Historical Archive 1887-2013

An online, fully searchable facsimile, the International Herald Tribune Historical Archive 1887-2013 delivers the full run of this internationally focused daily paper, from its first issue through to 2013. Articles, advertisements, and market listings are included—shown both individually and in the context of the full page and issue of the day.

Liberty Magazine Historical Archive, 1924-1950

Liberty, a weekly illustrated magazine, charted the course of middle America from 1924 to 1950 with art, stories, and feature articles from some of the twentieth century's greatest authors, celebrities, artists, and politicians. This digital archive features the complete run of the magazine, including more than 17,000 stories and articles ranging from mystery and suspense to autobiography and humor, revealing the attitudes, lifestyles, fads, and desires of America in the first half of the twentieth century.

The Mail on Sunday Historical Archive, 1982–2011

Established in 1982 under the same ownership as the Daily Mail, the Mail on Sunday has been one of the top Sunday newspapers in the United Kingdom for four decades. Generally conservative in its stance, Mail on Sunday has covered British politics on the domestic and international stage through its frequently contentious embrace of tabloid journalism. Researchers can explore every full issue to follow both major news stories and perspectives on social trends and debates of the era.

The Mirror Historical Archive, 1903-2000

Aimed at a working-class mass-market audience, the Mirror became influential in shifting the course of British newspapers and journalism, starting the dominance of tabloids in the twentieth century—offering researchers a valuable left-wing, populist alternative to the major broadsheets.

Picture Post Historical Archive, 1938-1957

The Picture Post Historical Archive, 1938-1957 consists of the complete, fully searchable facsimile archive of the Picture Post, the iconic newspaper published in Britain from 1938 to 1957 that defined the style of photojournalism in the twentieth century. Picture Post Historical Archive provides students and researchers with online access to a unique visual record of the 1930s to 1950s, from the humorous and lighthearted snapshots of daily life to the serious and history-defining moments of domestic and international affairs.

Punch Historical Archive, 1841-1992

The fully text-searchable online archive of Punch -- Punch Historical Archive, 1841-1992 -- is available for scholars, students, and the general researcher to explore. The archive is an unrivaled resource for researching and teaching nineteenth- and twentieth-century political and social history on key themes such as World War I and World War II; colonialism, imperialism and End of Empire; impact of new technology and modernity; public health, conservation and environmentalism; social change; and the role of women.

Sunday Times Historical Archive, 1822–2021*

Since 1822, The Sunday Times has provided thoughtful analysis and commentary on the week's global news and society at large. World famous for its cutting-edge investigative journalism, the newspaper broke many of the key stories of the twentieth century. In more than 600,000 full-text searchable pages, this digital collection is a gateway to the greatest crimes, careers, and culture of the last two centuries.

The Economist Historical Archive, 1843-2020

The Economist is the definitive source for business and policy leaders, opinion shapers, and decision makers. Accordingly, this collection proves the ideal historical resource for researching cutting-edge ideas in a convenient format. Gale's digital technology delivers fully searchable news, supplements, advertisements, and letters that let researchers compare political and economic trends across continents and conduct credible research into the great events of the nineteenth, twentieth, and twenty-first centuries.

The Independent Historical Archive, 1986–2012

The Independent Historical Archive, 1986–2012 covers the full run of the newspaper from its very first issue until 2016. Through an intuitive interface and multiple search paths, users can search, retrieve, and browse every article, page, and edition of the newspaper, gaining insight into this crucial period of twentieth- and twenty-first-century culture and society and how the media represented it.

The Listener Historical Archive, 1929-1991

During the peak of the radio age, the BBC set a global standard in reporting and commentary. The network published transcripts of its broadcasts in an innovative weekly called the Listener. This magazine expanded upon the intellectual coverage of the week and offered original content that shed light on timely political and cultural issues. This collection provides rare access to the content of many early broadcasts and the BBC's perspective on the twentieth century.

Product Features & Tools

Term Frequency

Researchers can see the frequency of search terms within sets of content to begin identifying central themes and assessing how individuals, places, events, and ideas interact and develop over time.

Topic Finder

By grouping commonly occurring themes, this tool reveals hidden connections within search terms—helping to shape research by integrating diverse content with relevant information.

Cross-Search Capability

Search across the materials of complementary primary source products, including books, in one united, intuitive environment, enabling innovative new research connections.

Learn more about the Gale Primary Sources Platform »

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