YOUR GUIDE TO THE TWIN CITIES
Wednesday May 23, 2012
Sample Minnesota's rich history, courtesy of a microfilm archive of newspaper articles, photos and ads dating back more than 140 years. Fresh items are posted once or twice a week. Go here for tips on how to track down old newspaper articles on your own. Or visit the Yesterday's News archives, a searchable library of more than 300 articles.
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March 18, 1910: An ad disguised as news
Posted by: Ben Welter under Minnesota History, Newspapers Updated: March 17, 2010 - 7:09 PM
Advertising disguised as news was common in some American papers until about 1915. Here's an example from the Minneapolis Morning Tribune. The typefaces used in the headline and text were identical to those of the adjacent news stories:
BOTTLE FLOATED 33 YEARS
Bottles containing messages thrown overboard from vessels have been picked up after drifting about for long periods, but in all probability the bottle picked up last summer at a point in the Atlantic Ocean three miles south of Monomy Point, Mass., holds all records. The paper within the bottle stated that it had been thrown overboard from the ship “Hattie E. Topley,” April 13, 1874, a little eastward of the Cape of Good Hope. It will probably be interesting to know that you can find enjoyment in a bottle of golden grain belt beer. Order a case and see for yourself.
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