The New York Daily News, officially titled the Daily News, was founded in 1919 and initially known as the Illustrated Daily News. The paper attracted readers by pioneering the tabloid format and the liberal use of photography. For more than seven decades, its slogan was “New York’s Picture Newspaper.” The archives of the Daily News provide a stunning visual history of the 20th century and beyond and include coverage of city news, scandal, crime and violence, cartoons, and entertainment.

The first issue of the Daily News was printed in June 1919, not long after the end of WWI. The paper reported on the triumphant return of Gen. John J. Pershing and his American Expeditionary Forces in a parade through the city. Marching alongside the soldiers were women who served in the war in capacities like field secretary and canteen service.

The end of WWI brought a flood of new immigrants to the country. The archives of the Daily News provide a glimpse into the conditions they faced upon arrival. In 1920, the Daily News reported 3,319 immigrant arrivals at Ellis Island with accommodations for just 1500. Officials were overwhelmed and immigrants described horrible conditions. By 1921, officials addressed the complaints and conditions overall improved.  

The Daily News archives are full of sensational crimes like a 1964 jewel heist. Jack “Murf the Smurf” Murphy and accomplices cased the J.P. Morgan Hall of Gems inside the American Museum of Natural History. They found lax security and entered the museum at night through a window. They made off with 22 rare and priceless gems including the 563-carat Star of India sapphire and the 100-carat DeLong Star Ruby. The thieves were arrested days later and most of the gems recovered.

In addition to coverage of high-profile New Yorkers, the pages of the Daily News are filled with glimpses into the lives of everyday citizens. For example, in 1923 a young girl named Milly Terzian was visiting relatives in New York and became lost when the subway doors closed locking her aunt and uncle on the platform as the train whisked the child away. She later reunited with her father and uncle at a police station. In 1934, the Madison Square Boys’ Club was a place for boys to gather and learn new hobbies; a record snowstorm in 1947 didn’t sideline wedding plans for a young couple who exchanged vows in the Municipal Building; and this 1970 photo shows two young New Yorkers decorating the office Christmas tree in the newly opened World Trade Center.

Search the Daily News for the death notices, obituaries, and wedding announcements of your New York ancestors.

The pages of the Daily News provide a fascinating glimpse into history. Whether you have ancestors from New York; immigrant ancestors that arrived in New York; or an interest in history – start searching the Daily News today!

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13 thoughts on “The New York Daily News Turns 100!

  1. what about Canadian newspapers or for that matter Ireland. Is your site only USA? Never a answer! Let’s see more international content.

    1. A glaring absence in Your advertisement to subscribe to your services. Questions asked as what newspapers are included as American/USA magazines? Puerto Rico is part of the United States Of America, The U. S. Virgin Islands, and the many ‘Territories,’ of the United States Of America/ USA.
      The New York Times News Paper Must Answer the Questions with Clear, concise , Truthful Answers in re: does newspapers.com only provide access to newspapers from the continental United States, The New York Times does it only offer newspapers from New York?
      Answer these questions!
      Clearly The U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Guam, and Every Territory of the United States/USA is of Great Importance to would be subscribers. Thousands or More from the few US Countries/ Territories are a part of the United States/USA. Many from the Few places I have mentioned have served The United States Of America/USA in Every War, Every Conflict, many Residing in the Continental US with Generations of their decedents living, working, serving in the Armed Forces fighting and sacrificing their lives for Their/Our Country, paying Taxes, contributing to the Fabric of the USA, the Economy, the Culture, of their/Our Country, The United States Of America. USA.
      Answer the questions and progress to the Undeniable Contributions, Presence of All of The USA and of All of its, Their, Our USA.
      Secondly, the cost of Your subscriptions are insulting as the newspapers you offer and those that would be subscribers want included in their entirety are available for Free, online via Nearly Every Public Library.
      Consider the facts of my argument and answer the question of does the subscription offered only apply to the Continental USA and specifically to the State Of Now York?

      1. Craig,
        No details or very limited at website. No not free but very limited in scope unless your mainland USA. No customer service either. Could not / would not trust a subscription fee for something so limited.

  2. Thank you for this window into N.Y. history. It’s great to know a newspaper has lasted 100 years – whether it happens to be a newspaper in the U.S. or any other nation. Let’s hope the N.Y. Daily News survives well into our digital era, alongside many newspapers throughout the world.

  3. Newspapers.com is a wonderful website, but it costs money to scan and upload all these newspapers. They are working as fast as they can to get more papers online, but the whole US and Canada cannot be done all at once. Your subscriptions help to pay to get more papers online. I have been a subscriber for a long time, and while not all the papers I need are online yet, a good many of them are and it is wonderful to find someone or something I am looking for. And do not limit your search to a specific paper – you never know what will show up in a newspaper you would never expected to find something or someone.

  4. This is not so much about newspapers, but the mention of the return of the troops from WW I gave me a few thoughts.
    1. While all of the troops are dead, , not everyone who lived through it is dead. A child born in 1909 would have been 10 when the troops came home and might have some memories of what big brother said when he came back. Such a child would be 110 and we do have a few people in the age range 110-114. Set up a camera and get them talking.
    2. Since they would obviously lived through WW II also, get them talking about that too. Even if your relative is only in their late 80s or 90s, their fathers may have been in WW I talk to them too, and also get what they were doing during the war. My mother was rejected by the army for a hear murmur, but there was Cadet Nursing Corps, which assigned new nurses to shortage areas. Mother wound up atVanderbilt Hospital in Nashville. Your moher might have worked at a war plant, but even if she did not have a war industry job, she might have volunteered for something, participated in scrap drives, saved cooking fat for explosives, or just tried to cook with substitutes for rashioned items. All interesting at some time in the future. (And if she went to the black market for things, how did that work)
    Get that camera rolling, make copies for the family and give copies to the local historical society, library or college.

  5. The site shows the top 20 results. Type title or location to find title.
    When News papers went to this policy the searches in the small towns and papers are never found. News Papers was a better site , much better in the old search style.
    You could enter the state and all papers in the state with the name you are searching appeared.

    News Papers is not the excellent search site it was in the past.
    Bob R

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