There's something about the past that remains relevant even in the present day. It's why people like to collect old trinkets, buy old houses, and spend hours in public library archives. The first newspaper in the U.S. was printed in 1690, but even old newspaper clippings, comics, and snippets can be relevant now.
That's what we found out when we came across the Instagram page "Yesterday's Print" that shares vintage newspaper clippings. Some of them include headlines, others are poignant old-timey comics, and some are simple, short jokes from the funnies section. So, join us in rediscovering old-school humor from vintage newspapers that can still be relevant today!
More info: Yesterday's Print
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The Baltimore Sun, Maryland, June 15, 1924
“Don't do anything I wouldn't do, if you ever find anything I wouldn't do.” ― Terry Pratchett, Carpe Jugulum
Load More Replies...Paints - puts colour on her face; lipstick, rouge, eyeliner etc. Powders - uses face powder.
In the days when respectable ladies didn't wear makeup, you could say "I suspect that Henrietta paints" to suggest that she wears rouge or applies burnt cork to her eyebrows.
Load More Replies...I do not get the eating lobsters at midnight. Is she a Gremlin?
The Oskaloosa Independent, Kansas, August 25, 1877
Apparently they were ahead of our time. Millions of jobs require standing when its absolutely NOT nessisary and makes everyone uncomfortable
The Circleville Herald, Ohio, April 2, 1928
That is simply because women do not all simply dress for superficial reasons. Many dress for effect, and when other women of similar intent see someone throwing off the curve by going much further, it makes them frustrated. They want to generate a response from a target group, and that other woman dropped a b**b on their plans.
Load More Replies...The history of American newspapers is quite fascinating. Yes, the first-ever paper was published in 1690, but it had to close down after its first issue. It turns out that the publishers ran it without obtaining a license. The man behind it, Benjamin Harris, had to go to jail for it.
The newspaper was titled "Publick Occurrences Both Forreign and Domestick" and came out only in Boston. Although it was ill-fated, it was quite modern for its time. It was the first multi-page (only four) newspaper and featured topics like politics, crime, and even gossip and scandal. The last of the four pages was left blank so that readers could write in their piece of news and hand it in to be published in the next issue.
The Age-Herald, Birmingham, Alabama, September 12, 1913
And it applies to innocent people too (because yes, plenty of people get found not guilty!), the poor innocent ones amongst them have spent that time in jail for nothing, and the rich innocent ones didn't. The bail system is flawed and unfair by definition.
The bail system in the US just means you don't go to prison if you're rich. Or if you say a compliment about the president. Obviously, that second one only works if you're white.
Load More Replies..."The law locks up the man or woman / Who steals the goose from off the common / But leaves the greater villain loose / Who steals the common from the goose." (Wikipedia: The Goose and the Common)
"A street kid gets arrested, gonna do some time; he got out three years from now just to commit more crime. A businessman gets caught, with 24 kilos; he's out on bail and out of jail and that's the way it goes." "White Lines (Don't Do It)," Melle Mel, 1983
Despite extensive research by teenagers the world over, it is true, fúck has not changed.
Load More Replies...Vancouver Daily World, British Columbia, June 27, 1921
Doctors that don’t know is the uterus is the strongest muscle in any human body **definitely** should keep their opinions to themselves.
Not the strongest muscle overall, but it can be defined as the strongest in terms of function and force-to-size ratio for its specific job. I googled!
Load More Replies...St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Missouri, February 22, 1904
But they were able to print it in the news in those days.
Load More Replies...Remember when we used to think George W Bush was the nadir? The present incumbent makes him look like Lincoln
I saw something along the lines of crazy leader at the whitehouse and I was slightly surprised it was referrring to Ronald Reagan. My theory is the population are victims of battered wife syndrome and cannot stop returning to toxic relationships.
Yeah Teddy was kind of a jerk according to the Ken Burns documentary on the Roosevelts. He was a misogynist, racist, xenophobic, etc.
They called it bang on !! they could have warned u all so ya didn’t freaking vote it in ffs
People were warned. Over and over and over again. People would rather s***w others over than benefit everyone.
Load More Replies...1690 was still British America times, so this and many subsequent newspapers that followed it were closely related to the British government. Although public sentiment was different, the papers avoided criticizing it. The next newspaper, The Boston News-Letter, survived after its initial release.
However, it was a tool of the colonial establishment. At the top of every issue, there was a phrase, "Published by Authority," just like in the "London Gazette." The format of this newspaper sort of set the tone for what papers in 18th-century America looked like. There was only one sheet of paper, with text written on both sides in two columns. At the end of the second page, readers could buy ads, but newspaper advertising became lucrative only in the 19th century.
The Atlanta Constitution, Georgia, April 26, 1932
The Dothan Eagle, Alabama, November 23, 1916
Retired chaplain here, and I trust the dogs and the children. Jesus did, too.
Load More Replies...Children and dogs love me. Strangers feel safe around me. It's all about having good vibes. However my daughters Pentecostal in-laws think I am an evil witch. 🤷🏻♀️
See boss children and animals love me. Take your religious zealot, narsacistic and over opinionated fat lard ahole and shove it. I'm so glad I could think this through, my resignation will be perfect.
The Frankfort Index, Kansas, April 26, 1930
That "once a year" event is when middle-aged men preen and (wise) young women flee!
About once a DAY every middle aged woman pauses to ponder if she is yet attractive to young men. She is not....There, corrected the quote....now go play with your cats.
In the beginning of the 19th century, newspaper circulation was in the thousands in America. Not everyone would read them, given that illiteracy was still quite common. As time went by, printing technology became more advanced, and the telegraph and the telephone allowed for quicker communication (editors and publishers communicated mainly by letters).
The Atlanta Constitution, Georgia, June 25, 1932
🎵🎶So remember, when you're feeling very small and insecure / How amazingly unlikely is your birth / And pray that there's intelligent life somewhere out in space / 'Cause it's bugger all down here on Earth🎶🎵
Just remember that you're standing on a planet thats evolving, and revolving at nine hundred miles an hour. That's orbiting at nineteen miles a second, so it's reckoned, a sun that is the source of all our power. The sun and you and me and all the stars that we can see, are moving at a million miles a day, in an outer spiral arm, at forty thousand miles an hour, of the galaxy we call the 'Milky Way'!
Load More Replies...The chances of anything coming from Mars, Are a million to one, he said, The chances of anything coming from Mars, Are a million to one, but still, they come.
Beam me up Scotty, there seems to be no intelligent life on this planet.....
Clarion-Ledger, Jackson, Mississippi, April 6, 1939
My little piece of the world is under little or no management. I like it!
The world could use someone like my wife to run it! She knows the one correct way to do everything.
Fact well in USA , but tbh uk ain’t much better either 🙄n no I didn’t vote for our pm !
The Daily Herald, Provo, Utah, May 22, 1931
The ones who inscribe "this is rubbish" without further explanation are worse
Dave Barry stated that he would be in favor of capital punishment if whoever had invited those tiny packets of ketchup served with fast food would be liable for it..
In the 1830s, "penny papers" started to pop up. To make newspapers available for the masses and the working class, publishers started selling cheap, mass-produced newspapers that cost only one penny. Some examples include The Boston Herald, the Philadelphia Public Ledger, and the Baltimore Sun. At first, they were only available in the big cities, but, with time, spread to smaller cities in the South and the West.
Harrisburg Telegraph, Pennsylvania, March 29, 1881
I still tend to use the character-based smileys rather than emojis. Sadly a lot of systems automatically convert them, so my ;-) becomes a 😉. I don't like them, never seen the point, they're actually more difficult to decipher anyway.
Load More Replies...We need more taciturnity these days. A LOT more.😶
Load More Replies...Makes you wonder what will happen when we dumb down even further
Load More Replies...Marion County Herald, Palmyra, Missouri, January 31, 1923
"Something ought to be done about" - people being allowed to post hateful and judgemental commentary on this site. Crystal, you're still posting hateful judgemental things, does this sentiment extend as far as your behaviour?
Load More Replies...The US would have been in a much better state if the orange man had just done absolutely nothing
The Pantagraph, Bloomington, Illinois, September 27, 1943
Like the response to the congressional hearings on the fact UAPs and aliens exist. America was just like, "Okay whatever."
Well, the Moon is made of cheese and is home to a huge population of mice. When the tunnels need to be dug at an accelerated pace, they may resort to dynamite -- and accidents may happen... He's an astronomer, trust him... :) 🧀
Load More Replies...In the early 20th century, newspapers were almost the main source of news for all Americans. Except for maybe the radio, it was the only place people would find out about what was going on in the world. Alternative, or "underground," newspapers began publishing, with different interest groups wanting one that represented them, whether by trade, ethnicity, occupation, or religion. The "Village Voice" of Greenwich Village in New York was one of them, which began publishing in 1955. It was a place for artists and various creatives like Jonas Mekas and Linda Solomon.
The Topeka Daily Capital, Kansas, December 10, 1905
You'd better use it in print, because without the h, it will turn to asterisks.
Load More Replies...See the sad history of Wạng Laboratories at Wikipedia. It's proof that even computer nerds can insist on making the equivalents of buggy-whips and sliderules even when the market no longer wants them.
Load More Replies...The Austin American, Texas, April 27, 1934
The now $400 million one? I can't wait to attend a ball there! I'll be able to, right? Because it's the People's House?
Load More Replies...Alwoodley Lane in Leeds (**very** niche reference) taught me that in my teens. Dear Lord. And they’d pull down a perfectly okay massive house to build their vision of a massive house. Some of them defied belief.
Same in my village ,outside of stow on the wold , lovely little black n white cottage , sold n bought pulled down ,now laws state any new buildings must be same footprint of old building as it was actually a sodding listed building m hundreds of yrs old , so how they got permission for the monstrous thing that was rebuilt , its been there8 ish yrs now n it still dont fit the aesthetics of the rest of the village , freaking money talks pfft
Load More Replies...Provo Evening Herald, Utah, November 24, 1937
We used to say "Little piggy".I have it in my autograph book, signed by a school friend in 1968.
Load More Replies...Today, newspapers aren't really that popular. Since the 2000s, the number of newspaper publishers in the U.S. has reducedby more than half. In 2002, there 46,000 of them, and in 2022, only 22,000 were left. In the 2010s, many publications and newspapers moved online and retained a pretty solid viewership of more than 10 million readers. Since 2020, even online newspapers have been experiencing an increasingly significant decline.
The Morning Tulsa Daily World, Oklahoma, October 28, 1921
The Paducah Sun-Democrat, Kentucky, August 21, 1939
"The philosopher Didactylos has summed up an alternative hypothesis as 'Things just happen. What the hell.’" (Terry Pratchett, Hogfather)
Wasn't that part of Richard Feynman's "Surely you're joking, Mr Feynman?" book ?
Load More Replies...St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Missouri, July 13, 1885
I'm sitting on the couch with HGTV on in the background like a productive person!
Load More Replies...I tried watching the Ted Talk on it but couldn't stay awake all the way through.
I feel I am fairly accomplished at this, but they say practice makes perfect. It certainly can't hurt.
Why aren't we reading newspapers anymore? Julian Novitz, a lecturer in the Department of Media and Communication at Swinburne University of Technology, explains that our attention spans are no longer compatible with weekly or monthly newspapers and magazines.
"Casual readers are less willing to wait for a weekly or monthly print magazine to arrive in the post or on a newsstand. The ready availability of free, or significantly cheaper, digital content may deter them from purchasing print subscriptions or individual issues."
The Austin American, Texas, June 20, 1934
Prohibition in the U.S. ended in 1933, after 13 long dry years.
Load More Replies...Picture Post, England, March 25, 1939
No, the vase was hungry. This is the vase's brilliant evolutionary adaptation: sit still for years, then wait for a cat to jump in. Fed!
I feel suddenly compelled to feed this pot an elixir. (Dumb, niche Final Fantasy reference, don't mind me.)
The Gazette, Montreal, Canada, February 18, 1933
Even if I conquer my insomnia at night, my cats make d**n good sure that I am awake at 4a. My 7mo puppy joins them in their endeavors and parkours on my face. If I try to lock them out of bedroom, my 3yo Belgian Malinois tries to eat the bedroom door, so that's not an option. It's most annoying. Get 5 dogs and 4 cats (rescues) they said. It will be fun they said. 😑
I only have one cat at the moment but I relate to your dilemma! She wakes me up alt 3:00 am because she's hungry and then again at 6:00 am for the same reason! She used to get on top of me and stomp up and down my body which was highly annoying although effective! Now she puts her nose on my cheek and then rubs her cheek on mine! I'm much more inclined to get up for her with the new way of waking me up!
Load More Replies...However, even if print magazines and newspapers are experiencing a decline in readership, they're still here. To make print materials interesting, some magazines and newspapers offer something more than just the written word. Recently, people buzzed on social media about the newest issue of Vogue UK that included a stylish notebook. "I don't even use a diary, just gonna get it to stand on my vanity," one person said.
Robert Benchley In The San Francisco Examiner, California, October 22, 1934
Thanks for reminding me. It's after midday here so time for another one
Look up Robert Benchley. He has hilarious short films. (And the SF Examiner was a somewhat right-leaning news[paper published in SF.) Crazy s**t, I know.
Which is why my parents always subscribed to the S.F. Chronicle! :)
Load More Replies...Im not good in the morning, until around 17:00. Then I'm off work, so I'm all good.
That was Peter Benchley. They are related, but not the same guy.
Load More Replies...The Leavenworth Times, Kansas, April 19, 1912
The Birmingham News, Alabama, June 24, 1922
Why do those ads think I wanna peel off my skin unless I have a million mosquito bites
I find my skin useful for holding internal parts together, and protecting them.
That's a nice marketing strategy, of course, but there are other elements at play. Some experts note that people are experiencing "digital fatigue" and want to consume more and more physical media. So, perhaps newspapers and print magazines won't go out of style that quickly.
New Yorker's staff writer Nathan Heller explains the long-lasting appeal of print media like this: "What made magazines appealing in 1720 is the same thing that made them appealing in 1920 and in 2020: a blend of iconoclasm and authority, novelty and continuity, marketability and creativity, social engagement and personal voice."
Douglas Island News, Alaska, November 15, 1918
I wonder how many members of ICE couldn't breathe when wearing a mask during the pandemic.
I admit, I had face shock after some people removed their masks. Beautiful eyes are often missed by other overpowering features.
I wonder how many Pandas supporting the recent European face-covering bans are ok with masks when they’re not Islamic
The Indianapolis Star, Indiana, July 26, 1925
Actually, we've incorporated that into our lives without realizing it, when our standard response becomes "if you think that's bad..."
A reliable one please. I am sick of those people with paranoia playing the victim again.
This should be part of all medical training, where the patient is either asking for meds they don't need, or want to skive off work with a "bad back."
Other people always have it worse. Think of the orphans with no feet
Evening Star, Washington Dc, January 3, 1901
Yes, we do in 2025. Domestic landlines are are vanishing breed, and electric cars still aren't practical for most. Too bloody expensive, for a start!
Grumpy old man: a few years back, I saw a modern custom-made steam powered motorcycle on the road here in the UK. I didn't have a camera on me. I was gobsmacked. I don't recall much, beyond there being a little steam engine mounted over the front wheel. The word is "contraption"...
Load More Replies...What do you think of these old newspaper clippings, Pandas? Have they brought you back in time at least a little bit? Or are they just as poignant and relatable as if they were written for a publication today? Let us know your thoughts in the comments! And if you're in the mood, we also have some vintage ads that did not stand the test of time for you to enjoy (or cringe at).
The Call-Leader, Elwood, Indiana, July 29, 1915
The Topeka Daily Capital, Kansas, October 9, 1902
Chariton Courier, Keytesville, Missouri, December 16, 1904
The Courier-News, Bridgewater, New Jersey, May 29, 1931
Oh no, I wanna be awake to see it happen! Am I the only one who feels that way?
Well given the orange lunatics gonna be the one as ends it’s , we best send him a memo with the best times to suit us please , I mean we gotta have some kinda say in this dint we ??
He doesn't like to read memos. Maybe a coloring book?
Load More Replies...Best to be after midnight, since I will probably sleep right through it anyway
I prefer for it to happen during my breakfast -I'd love the idea of enjoying my tea, bagel and watching world ending
I work night shifts. The last thing I want is the world ending just after I’ve ended and I’m driving home.
Load More Replies...The Bakersfield Californian, California, July 25, 1925
The News-Review, Roseburg, Oregon, April 23, 1931
Hell they'll even try to drag everyone kicking and screaming back to them imaginary good ol days. Cool to see an Oregon one pop up.
Manhattan Republic, Kansas, April 19, 1934
Erm...shouldn't the caption read "April 13, 1934" - if it was the 19th, it wouldn't have been "Friday the 13th" (and yes, April 13th 1934 was a Friday)
I think the paper was released ln the 19th but the author wrote it on the 13th
Load More Replies...Manhattan, Kansas. That is where my son was born while I was stationed at Fort Riley in the Army. The year was 1977. My son now is a Trumpster. I failed him somewhere/
Don't beat yourself up. Sometimes our kids go astray, despite our best efforts! Ask me how I know! ((Hugs))
Load More Replies...The Akron Beacon Journal, Ohio, September 8, 1925
I can't wait to look back on these days while eating old canned cat food in a burned out building.
Load More Replies...The terrifying thing about the future is that it is headed right straight at all of us. And unfortunately, the future just isn't what it used to be.
This too shall pass. We survived 1/4 and 3 years away from him being gone.
The Atlanta Constitution, Georgia, April 13, 1932
I think AI will be this generation's atom b**b...an echo of Pandora's box.
I can't help but read this as "atom b o o b". Thanks, BP censoring.
Load More Replies...North Carolina, June 1, 1925
I am here in Colorado and it's in the 60s every day this month with 71° on Xmas. Summer is going to be brutal.
The Wichita Beacon, Kansas, August 9, 1918
The expression O.K. was one an acronym too, invented about 20 years earlier
That's cool. I looked it up: "oll korrect," a humorous and intentional misspelling of "all correct". like snafu lol
Load More Replies...The San Francisco Examiner, California, February 18, 1912
A doughnut now filled with whatever dirt the walking stick has been through that morning.
Just dont eat that bit. Think of the orphans who have no feet
Load More Replies...In an era where the length of hat pins, which women used for defense, were considered to be too long and dangerous by men.
Plainfield-Courier News, New Jersey, April 16, 1937
Illustrated Sporting And Dramatic News, England, January 5, 1945
It still does. They didnt change the definition, it was expanded to include orientation
Load More Replies...The Atchison Daily Globe, Kansas, January 7, 1904
Heard a story about a pastor who was visiting a mom and her newborn. The newborn was unspeakably ugly. The pastor didn't like to lie, so when shown the baby he exclaimed, "Wow - that's some baby!"
I was the managing editor of this newspaper just short of a century after this was printed. I wish I had known it was in the archives.
Altoona Times, Pennsylvania, November 19, 1909
I was thinking that sounded weird too
Load More Replies...St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Missouri, May 20, 1908
Butler Citizen, Pennsylvania, March 1, 1918
This was near the end of WWI, which certainly may have given them the impression that things could only get better. But then the flu pandemic began: "The earliest documented case was March 1918 in Haskell County, Kansas, United States, with further cases recorded in France, Germany and the United Kingdom in April." (wikipedia)
Load More Replies...It was possible: Spanish Flu pandemic resulting in up to 50 million lives no longer required.
The San Bernardino County Sun, California, May 11, 1936
I wish I could have all my wasted time back. I'd waste it all over again!
If I had all the money I've spent on drink, I'd spend it on drink.
Load More Replies...Detroit Free Press, Michigan, August 29, 1939
I'll stay out of this dispute. Neither camp will ever change the mind of the other. The sides are as locked in on this point as solidly as on gun control or abortion.
Load More Replies...The Alexander City Outlook, Alabama, July 12, 1934
The San Francisco Examiner, California, November 16, 1933
Star-Gazette, Elmira, New York, February 1, 1924
Life Magazine, 1929
In my opinion, every dawn's light is quite surly XD I am not fond of mornings.
Me either. My body revolts. Normalize a noon to 3 or 4 am day!
Load More Replies...I need one of these for the Australian national anthem, but it would be 'hmmmmm hmmmmm +mmmmm....' in its entirety after most of the first verse....
The Monroeville Breeze, Indiana, September 20, 1934
Sounds reasonable. I’m sure the flat earthers could be persuaded of this.
And I have observed the trees moving when it is windy outside. Therefore it is logical to conclude the trees moving their branches is the cause of wind.
Load More Replies...Public Ledger, Memphis, Tennessee, May 9, 1872
But it doesn't rhyme with "obey", which is what they were trying to slide past.
Load More Replies...I purposely told the pastor who married us to leave out the obey part of the vows. He was an old-school conservative Christian in Oklahoma and gave me a shocked look. I told him that I mean to start as I intend to carry on.
"Oldschool" - almost neolithic, but that would be unfair towards our distant ancestors.
Load More Replies...The meaning may have changed in 150 years.... But still valid!
The Kansas Chief, Troy, Kansas, October 5, 1899
Why not? Older children, once considered so in the past aren't babies now, so they would not be in competition for the current sweetest baby.
Load More Replies...St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Missouri, April 11, 1909
The News, Paterson, New Jersey, May 13, 1944
The Winchester Star, Kansas, October 3, 1930
The Oregon Daily Journal, Portland, September 18, 1916
This is a demonstration of an early image editing system called TaterShop.
😂 love to see that Portland has always been absurd in the best ways. ✊🐸🦄🦖
Life was simpler. I miss when potato chips shaped like Jesus made the Tonight Show
The Salina Daily Union, Kansas, June 19, 1908
Yeah, it's bad enough that they eat the crops. But then they have to go buzzing so loudly about it to rub it in. Downright rude!
Yeah but the whole change they go through from grass hopper to locust is fascinating.
Load More Replies...The Coffeyville Weekly Journal, Kansas, January 11, 1895
I can't see Captain Ahab parting from his white whale any time soon. Just saying ...
Not exactly a pet, and it k****d him, so there you go.
Load More Replies...So similar to a Wookiee then. So that would make anyone getting a whale in actuality the whale's pet. Much like Han Solo was Chewbacca's pet
The Andalusia Star, Alabama, April 24, 1914
I genuinely don’t know what a ‘hamburger steak’ is anyway, but I’d love to try what one of nuts tasted like in 1914 (made freshly, please, not a hundred and eleven years old)
It's a hamburger about the size of a small steak, meant to sit on a plate without a bun, and with a scoop cottage cheese and a peach half on a piece of lettuce to the side. This was a common diet lunch in the 60s and 70s.
Load More Replies...Corsicana Semi-Weekly Light, Texas, February 3, 1948
Daily Mirror, England, January 22, 1909
The San Francisco Examiner, California, August 23, 1932
Well, I've just come from winter in the other hemisphere, so there's that....
The Lancaster News Journal, Pennsylvania, July 4, 1915
Detroit Free Press, Michigan, November 27, 1958
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Missouri, August 18, 1908
Actually...it shows we are still worrying about stupid stuff, likely for the same reasons....
Load More Replies...Chicago Tribune, Illinois, December 1, 1928
Times Signal, Zanesville, Ohio, January 11, 1925
Now. How do you think they got that way?
Load More Replies...The Day Book, Chicago, Illinois, August 17, 1912
"But humans don't just simply turn into ducks, so creationism must be correct..." ×_0
The Washington Post, Washington Dc, January 12, 1916
Santa Cruz Evening News, California, August 1, 1925
I’ve long argued that socks are straitjackets for your toes.
I hate getting a foot wedgie. When you sock gets super tightened on your toes from friction of putting them in your shoes.
Load More Replies...Harrisburg Telegraph, Pennsylvania, January 9, 1930
The Sedalia Democrat, Missouri, August 11, 1908
Reading Times, Pennsylvania, December 30, 1927
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Missouri, March 24, 1907
Kids were doped up on morphine cough syrup back then so was probably given an extra dose and sent to bed when he got home.
