The story of Newspaper - History of Everything

History of Newspaper

We are social beings, we gather information from various sources to protect , to survive and to fulfil our consciousness. In the past it was not easy to obtain information because there was lack of reliable sources, often the information acquired was not very dependable and people used to spread fake news like wildfire. Then with the arrival of writing and literacy, news reports became more reliable because Advanced societies became more academic. Societies like Rome in 59 B.C. started publishing about their political happenings, trials and executions in the form of daily hand-written news sheets. Likewise China produced the news sheets called the TIPAO starting from 202 B.C. during the HAN dynasty. In 1450, Johan Guttenburg invented the first printing press and various pamphlets, newsbooks and news ballads started circulating in whole Europe. But nothing upto this point qualifies to be a newspaper. In the 16th Century Venice like many other cities was the center of trade in Italy and therefore Information. Venice started publishing the news sheets known as Avisi filled with information on wars and politics in Italy, that is why Europe is now accredited with the invention of the modern newspaper. The two oldest surviving newspapers are from Germany from the year 1609, named Relations: Aller Furemmen and Aviso Relations over Zeitung. The printed newspaper spread rapidly through Europe. Printed weeklies appeared in Basel by 1610, in Frankfort and Vienna by 1615, in Hamburg by 1616, in Berlin by 1617 and in Amsterdam by 1618. The first newspaper printed in England appeared in 1621. France produced a newspaper of its own in 1631. But printers in Amsterdam, were exporting weeklies in French and in English as early as 1620. Italy's first printed weekly appeared by 1639 at the latest, Spain's by 1641. The oldest surviving newspaper written in English appears to have been published in Amsterdam in 1620 by Pieter van de Keere, a Dutch map and print engraver who had lived in London for a few years.