BREAKING 1776 NEWS: First British Report of America’s Declaration of Independence
After extensive archive and internet research, including a few email exchanges with the British Library, it is my conclusion that the first official British newspaper report of the actual July 4th Declaration was published in the August 10 to 13, 1776, London Chronicle. While the full printing of the Declaration appeared four days later in ...
The Death and Reinterment of Dr. Joseph Warren
As research for his forthcoming book 1775, Derek W. Beck uncovered photos of Dr. Joseph Warren’s skull, which support the idea that Warren was shot facing his enemy, at close range, during the Battle of Bunker Hill. As Beck summarizes: “Dr. Joseph Warren was shot in the face, looking at his assailant, and given the ...
Massachusetts Provincial Congress Adjourns on the Eve of Revolutionary War
This is a quick follow up to my previous post that featured the 1775 April 17 issue of the Boston Evening-Post. That issue, published by Thomas and John Fleet two days before the Battle of Lexington and Concord, turned out to be its second to last issue under the Fleet brothers. From the same issue, ...
The Massachusetts Spy Moves to Worcester, Loses Readers, Never Returns to Boston
Without any mention in the issue, the 1775 April 6 edition of Isaiah Thomas’s Massachusetts Spy — featuring the famous serpent “Join or Die” cartoon in the name plate — was his last from Boston. As the colophon states, it was printed at the “South-Corner of MARSHALL’s-LANE, leading from the MILL-BRIDGE into UNION STREET,” Boston. ...
Paul Revere’s Other Revolutionary Rides
According to research by Michael Kalin for Paul Revere’s Ride by David Hackett Fischer, between the winters of 1773 and 1775, Paul Revere had two dozen revolutionary rides. Each ride had a unique purpose, including explaining the Tea Party, spreading news of the Intolerable Acts, warning of British attacks and meetings with Whig leaders. One ...
