Introduction
The Inquirer celebrates a proud history of newsgathering in the Philadelphia region.
When The Inquirer cranked to life on June 1, 1829, its editors promised to support the rights of common people and oppose the abuses of corrupt government.
Remarkably, over 180 years, that commitment hasn't changed. The paper still insists that freedom of the press is the fuel that powers the engine of democracy.
What has changed over that colossal span? Pretty much everything else.
And, most of all, this: Time and space have collapsed.
When George Washington died, it took weeks for the news to travel from Virginia to Kentucky. Word of Abraham Lincoln's death reached the back country within days. On Sept. 11, 2001, people watched the attack on the second World Trade Center tower as it happened.
Today, no one feels as if he or she needs to wait until tomorrow for the news, least of all the people who write and edit The Inquirer. In this region, The Inquirer - as a newspaper and as a news-gathering organization - remains the source where people go to find out who has been elected or indicted, what stock is going up or what building burning down, who won, who lost, and how. More...
Remarkably, over 180 years, that commitment hasn't changed. The paper still insists that freedom of the press is the fuel that powers the engine of democracy.
What has changed over that colossal span? Pretty much everything else.
And, most of all, this: Time and space have collapsed.
When George Washington died, it took weeks for the news to travel from Virginia to Kentucky. Word of Abraham Lincoln's death reached the back country within days. On Sept. 11, 2001, people watched the attack on the second World Trade Center tower as it happened.
Today, no one feels as if he or she needs to wait until tomorrow for the news, least of all the people who write and edit The Inquirer. In this region, The Inquirer - as a newspaper and as a news-gathering organization - remains the source where people go to find out who has been elected or indicted, what stock is going up or what building burning down, who won, who lost, and how. More...
A message from Governor Jon Corzine
A message from Governor Ed Rendell
1829
The first item on the first page of the very first issue of The Inquirer, 180 years ago, was a notice of steamboat schedules.
1829 The first issue of The Inquirer appears on June 1.
Yuengling Brewery is established.
Eastern State Penitentiary opens.
Andrew Jackson is inaugurated as the nation's seventh president.
1879
The grand train depot at Broad and Filbert bustled with travelers. When these commuters and visitors exited the station, they found themselves overwhelmed by the smells and sounds of the city.
1929
Despite the postponement of the annual Mummers Parade because of rain and snow on New Year's Day, 1929 seemed to begin bright with promise. With just under two million people, Philadelphia was the third-largest city in the United States and the 10th-largest in the world. There were more than 4,000 musicians and only 2,291 lawyers.
1979
One morning in the fall of 1972, Gene Roberts shambled up to the twin revolving doors at 400 N. Broad St. to begin his first day as executive editor of The Inquirer. As he pushed through one door, the photo editor - who had just quit - was walking out the other.
2029
Here's a news flash from the future:
Journalism lives. Newspapers live.
If you like reading the folded, crinkly paper version of The Inquirer, as people did in 1829, you are still going to be able to do that 20 years from now in 2029.
As recently as the 1970s, The Inquirer claimed to be the oldest daily newspaper in the United States.
It's not.
The more the economy faltered, the more popular games became. One social worker found Philadelphia children "playing eviction," mimicking the harsh reality around them. Sometimes they "played relief," but they preferred "eviction" because it had more action and they all knew how to play.
Caroline R. Le Count, a school principal and the daughter of an undertaker
who hid runaway slaves in his coffins, struck her first blows against oppression
by age 18. Later in life, she would share stages with W.E.B. DuBois.
The Academies. Owen Wister and W.E.B. DuBois. A look at some of the most important events in Philadelphia's artistic history.
Philadelphia has always had a lively arts community. The events below, as selected by The Inquirer's arts reporters, are some of the most memorable in the last 180 years:
180 YEARS: FROM THE INQUIRER'S ARCHIVES
As part of its 180th anniversary celebration, The Inquirer is bringing some of its most famous stories out of the vault to share with its readers once again. You'll find all the archive stories that have been featured in the paper on this page.
During The Inquirer's 180 years, a city that loves sports has seen some amazing events. Here are sportswriter Frank Fitzpatrick's picks for the most memorable:
In an astonishing 16-month span from October 1979 to January 1981, Philadelphia was transformed from a gritty outpost of the sports universe to its unrivaled capital.
One of just a handful of cities with teams in each major professional sport, Philadelphia's four all played for championships.
One of just a handful of cities with teams in each major professional sport, Philadelphia's four all played for championships.
When Charles Dickens visited the United States, he wanted to see two things: Niagara Falls and Eastern State Penitentiary.
The foreboding Gothic fortress opened in October 1829, months after The Inquirer began publication, the steel-and-stone representation of a new idea.
They didn't know what to expect in July 1861 when the two armies marched out to meet along a meandering Virginia stream called Bull Run.
Cullen Aubrey couldn't sell the newspapers fast enough. Every Union soldier seemed to want a copy of The Inquirer.
Amazingly, the paper carried news of the first day's fighting at Gettysburg, Pa., before the outcome of the three-day battle was known.
A century after helping set the course of the nation, Philadelphia threw a months-long Centennial celebration that dazzled 10 million visitors with its show of industry and innovation.
It was a slow news day at The Inquirer's tall white building on North Broad Street. The banner headline that morning had said, "Roosevelt Sends Personal Note to Emperor in 'Final Effort' to Avert War With Japan." But the only thing going on was the Eagles' game against the Redskins, and that was in Washington.
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