'Times' Now Boring In Three Centuries
There's just been more value added to your TimesSelect subscription: The company announced today that "all articles dating back to Sept. 18, 1851, when the paper started publishing, are now available online at NYTimes.com. With original reporting on Abraham Lincoln, the sinking of the Titanic and the landing at Normandy, The Times is now letting its readers travel through time with the click of a mouse."
That's actually pretty damned interesting. We were curious: How has the paper changed over time? A quick trip through the archives reveals that some things never change. Here's the lede on Lincoln's delivery of the Gettysburg Address:
President Lincoln returned today for a sentimental journey to the battlefield where he didn't inhale, didn't get drafted and didn't salute the troops. The last got rectified after a reception marked with the respect and perfect silence due to the solemnity of the occasion, every man in the immense gathering uncovering on his appearance.
It goes on to compare the speech to a monologue from the popular minstrel show The Amorous Activities of Four Maidens Inhabiting New York Town.
The New York Times Archive Dating Back to 1851 Now Available Online [Yahoo]
THE HEROES OF JULY.; A Solemn and Imposing Event. Dedication of the National Cemetery at Gettysburgh. IMMENSE NUMBERS OF VISITORS. Oration by Hon. Edward Everett—Speeches of President Lincoln, Mr. Seward and Governor Seymour. THE PROGRAMME SUCCESSFULLY CARRIED OUT. [NYT]
Oxford Journal; Whereas, He Is an Old Boy, If a Young Chief, Honor Him [NYT]