If you're a newspaper junkie, you may already know about the Newseum website. But I've just found out about it and I can't take the chance that some of you may not have discovered it yet.
The best feature is the Today's Front Pages interactive map. Each yellow dot on the map represents a newspaper front page. Mouse over the dot and see a miniature view, as above. Click on the newspaper image and it expands so you can read the front page.
There are 727 newspapers from all over the world participating, and more are joining each day. As of today, 398 of the total are U.S. newspapers, 329 from the rest of the world. There are three papers from Iran, none from Iraq, Cuba, North Korea, or Sri Lanka.
You can't view random previous dates, but the Newseum does archive notable dates, such as Inaugural Day. If you want to read more than the front page of any newspaper, click on the website links provided.
It's a work in progress and some newspapers are more reliable than others. As with any news source, be skeptical.
Thanks to the Bibliophile Bullpen blog (no relation) for bringing this website to our attention.
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Deven McKay
Ersatz Reader
Donna Ski
Christine Bollerud
Felisa Rogers
lasomnambule
Salon.com
Comments
Stellaa -- I had you and a few other OS newshounds in mind when I saw the site. Thanks for checking in!
Kaysong, odetteroulette, Paris Pace -- I agree, I expect I'll be wasting way too much time on those maps.
Bookmarked and rated.
Juliet: How did Benjamin Franklin found a newspaper in Montreal? Was it a newspaper in Philadelphia that was just about Montreal? Very intriguing.
Padraig -- thanks for alerting us to the www.world-newspapers.com site. It's more than newspapers, it has links to tv station sites, wire service sites, lots of BBC links. How are things going in Sri Lanka? The news we've heard on BBC World Service makes it sound as if things are a bit dicey for civilians there now.
Juliet Waters -- The U.S. invaded Montreal? Before it was even the U.S.? Obviously this is a history lesson I missed. (Scurrying to look up French-Indian War.)
Few Canadians, let alone Americans know that in 1775 as the first part of a three prong strategy, American revolutionaries invaded Montreal. The idea was to "liberate" Canadians from British rule in the hope of securing the territory so that the Brits wouldn't be able to use it as a military base.
Troops arrived, took over the governors house as their HQ, and gave Montreal's elite 24hrs to sign the terms of capitulation. Montreal's new English elite seemed happy enough to do this. But it had only been 12 years since New France had fallen to British rule. The transition of power had been mediated by the signing of The Quebec Act, which protected their cultural institutions, their right to practice religion, and have their own schools and services in French. They were skeptical to say the least that they would get these same rights under the American revolutionaries.
In an effort to win them over, Benjamin Franklin arrived with a French printer from Philadelphia, Fleury Mesplet. The idea was to print a freesheet that would convince Montreal's French population to come on board. It didn't work, and eventually British troops arrived and booted the Americans out.
But Mesplet stayed and three years later the newspaper he started with Franklin became The Montreal Gazette.
And there you have one of the greatest ironies of Canada. That the reason we are a separate country from the U.S. is because of the French in Quebec, who now want to separate from Canada.
If nothing else, this situation has always created a lot of editorial copy.
paula
Thanks for a brilliant new reference!
Stellaa -- It's amazing how many things don't really need to be done when there are books to be read and Internetz to be surfed. Cleaning, shopping, they can wait.
Juliet -- Thanks for that summary! I looked up the Montreal invasion and found that it was started by a rogue group headed by one Benedict Arnold. Washington had nixed the idea, but Benny went ahead anyway. Really quite interesting, and complete news to me. And the Benjamin Franklin angle, well, that fellow was like the Zelig of his day, wasn't he?
zumalicious -- I know what you mean, I'm kind of a fanatic about keeping my bookmarks to a manageable amount, but sometimes it's difficult...
I don't want to take over your post with this. But your facts are wrong. Benedict Arnold led another prong of the invasion, through Maine, towards Quebec. The Montreal invasion was led by Richard Montgomery. The invasion was directed ordered by Washington and approved by the Continental congress. After staying in Montreal for close to six month, Montgomery's forces headed to Quebec city, where they joined Arnold. Montgomery was killed. Arnold was wounded and fled to Ticonderoga....But the Americans didn't withdraw entirely from Canada until July 2. Two days before the Declaration of Independence.
Padraig -- The Week has a North American version now, which we subscribe to. It's excellent, concise, no ads. That, along with The Economist, are our weekly newsmagazines. We used to get the weekly Guardian, back when it was the Manchester Guardian (how long ago was that?), but now we just read it online, along with the Washington Post. For news addicts, the Internet is so much better than the print newspapers and shortwave radio we used to count on to keep internationally informed. Now I'm going to check on The Wrap to see what else is worth reading, thanks for that suggestion. Glad to know you're not in danger and we'll be watching for your next post.
"Lords of the Rings," the headline read. :D
Oh, Juliet!!
You forgot to include that, as punishment, the frogs in Montreal forced the English speaking to move to Toronto and suffer having the Leafs.lol