LibGuides: News &amp; Newspapers: A Guide to Library Research: Historical Newspapers

Welcome!

The Thompson Library has access to many different newspapers and collections, ranging from the 1700s to today, and spanning the globe. This page points you to historical news. (Newspapers or articles of current interest can be found on the Current News: Overview page on this guide.)

Search Newspapers

QuickSearch: Newspapers

With Newspaper Search, you can find articles in thousands of newspapers, past and present. Specialized collections are listed on this guide. Tips:

Once you do a search, you can add a date range to filter the results (e.g., 1980 – 2010).
The Flint Journal is not included in QuickSearch: Newspapers.

Flint Area and Michigan News Sources

Flint Journal, 1898-present This link opens in a new window
Content of The Flint Journal, including articles, illustrations, advertisements, and other content. Includes images (1898-1995; 2018 to present), and text (1995 to present).
The Flint Journal is also available on microfilm on the 1st floor of the Thompson Library, covering 1898 - 2018. These years of coverage are included in the online version, but if you need full page or article images for the years 1996 - 2017, you can scan them on the microfilm reader. If you only need the text of an article from the years 1996 - 2017, it is available in the online version.
Detroit Free Press Complete: 1831 - present This link opens in a new window
Includes all articles from all editions of the Detroit Free Press.
Combined access to all articles from all editions of the Detroit Free Press, including:
- Democratic Free Press and Michigan Intelligencer (1831-1832)
- Democratic Free Press (1832-1842, 1842-1848)
- Semi Weekly Free Press (1837)
- Daily Free Press (1842)
- Detroit Daily Free Press (1842, 1851-1858)
- Detroit Free Press (1837-1841, 1848-1851, 1858-present*)
- Detroit Free Press Blogs (2014)
Content from 2000-2007 and the most recent 3 months is available in text-only format. All other content is available in full image page reproductions that include all illustrations, ads, etc.

*There is a gap of missing content from May 1 to August 20, 1985.
Detroit News Historical and Current Collection, 1873 - present This link opens in a new window
Archive of historical and current issues of the Detroit News, 1873 - present.
Full-text access to the complete backfile of the Detroit News, going back to 1873. Important notes about searching the Detroit News:
- Page images are available for the years 1873-1988
- When searching for content or topics between or relevant to 1873-1988, do NOT use the drop-down menu options under "Select a Field" in the Advanced Search. No article-level metadata is included for these years (i.e., there are no headlines, bylines, section headings, etc., identified). Use the default search options.
- Some web-only content is included (2005-current)
Keyword(s): Michigan
Michigan Chronicle, 1936-2010 This link opens in a new window
Full-text searchable access to the complete backfile of the Michigan Chronicle, a leading voice for Blacks in Detroit and beyond.
Provides searchable, full-text access to the full archive of the Michigan Chronicle. The Michigan Chronicle was founded in 1936 by John Sengstacke, the owner of the Chicago Defender, and has continued to be a leading voice for Blacks in Detroit and beyond. Early on, the paper gained national attention for what was viewed at the time as its radical point of view by supporting both organized labor and the Democratic Party.

Michigan Chronicle played a pivotal role in civil rights of the 20th century including its involvement in negotiations at the Attica Prison uprising in 1971. It consistently reported on efforts of Black citizens to better themselves in the 1950s and 60s as they integrated into Detroit neighborhoods. In 1974, the Chronicle took the lead on supporting Coleman Young, Detroit's first Black mayor, and in its relentless reporting on violence against African Americans.

This newspaper offers primary source material essential to the study of American history and African-American culture, history, politics, and the arts. Examine major movements from the Great Migration and Civil Rights to the election of America's first Black president. Explore nearly nine decades of everyday life as written from the perspective of this Detroit-based paper providing researchers with unprecedented access to perspectives and information excluded or marginalized in mainstream sources.

More historical Michigan newspapers and news sources

Historical National News Sources

ProQuest Historical Newspapers This link opens in a new window
Custom cross-search of full-text backfiles of dozens of United States and international English-language newspapers. Click "More info" for individual titles.
Includes:
- Arizona Republican (1890-1922)
- Atlanta Constitution (1868-1984)
- Atlanta Daily World (1931-2003)
- Baltimore Afro-American (1893-2010)
- Baltimore Sun (1837-1996)
- Birmingham Post-Herald (1874-2005)
- Boston Globe (1872-2007)
- Calgary Herald (1883-2010)
- Chicago Defender (1909-1975)
- Chicago Tribune (1849-2014)
- Christian Science Monitor (1908-2011)
- Cincinnati Enquirer (1841-2009)
- Cleveland Call and Post (1934-2010)
- Dayton Daily News (1898-1922)
- Detroit Free Press (1831-1999)
- The Guardian (1821-2003) & The Observer (1791-2003)
- Hindustan Times (1924-2000)
- Indianapolis Star (1903-2004)
- Jerusalem Post (1932-2008)
- Kansas City Call (1919-2010)
- Leader-Post (Regina, Saskatchewan) (1883-2010)
- Leftist Newspapers and Periodicals (1845-2015)
- Los Angeles Sentinel (1934-2010)
- Los Angeles Times (1881-2015)
- Louisville Courier Journal (1830-1922)
- Louisville Defender (1951-2010)
- Michigan Chronicle (1939-2010)
- Minneapolis Star Tribune (1867-2001)
- Montreal Gazette (1785-2010)
- Nashville Tennessean (1812-1922)
- New York Amsterdam News (1922-2010)
- New York Times (1851-2020)
- Norfolk Journal and Guide (1916-2010)
- Philadelphia Tribune (1912-2010)
- Pittsburgh Courier (1911-2002)
- Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (1786-2003)
- St. Louis American (1949-2010)
- St. Petersburg Times / Tampa Bay Times‎ (1901-2009)
- South China Morning Post (1903-2001)
- U.S. Midwest Collection (various years of coverage)
- Vancouver Sun (1912-2010)
- Wall Street Journal (1889-2004)
- Washington Post (1877-2005)
- Windsor Star (1893-2010)

More historical national newspapers and collections

Historical News Sources Around the World

ProQuest News, Newspapers, & Current Events This link opens in a new window
Combined access to all available ProQuest news databases, both historical and current.
Combined access to all subscribed ProQuest news source databases, including:
- ProQuest Historical Newspapers
- ProQuest Recent Newspapers:
  - Chicago Tribune (2008 - a few days ago)
  - Detroit Free Press (2008 - a few days ago)
  - The Guardian (2010 - a few days ago)
  - Los Angeles Times (2008 - a few days ago)
  - The New York Times (2008 - 30 days ago)
  - Toronto Star (2020 - 90 days ago)
- Global Newsstream
- ABI/INFORM Dateline
- Alt-PressWatch
- Ethnic Newswatch
World Newspaper Archive This link opens in a new window
Provides full text searchable access to historical newspapers published in Africa, East Europe, Latin America, and South Asia.
World Newspaper Archive is a fully-searchable, digital collection of historical newspapers from around the world. It includes a gradually expanding digitized backfiles of 19th and 20th century newspapers from Africa (1800-1922), East Europe (1835-1922), Latin America and Latin America Series 2 (1805-1922) and South Asia (1864-1922). As the project expands, it will grow to include newspapers from the Middle East and Southeast Asia.

More historical news sources from around the world

News & Newspapers: A Guide to Library Research

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Welcome!

Search Newspapers

Flint Area and Michigan News Sources

Historical National News Sources

Historical News Sources Around the World