Hold the front page! We've hit 50 million

Back in 2011, we set out to digitise the British Library's entire newspaper collection and open it up to the public as the British Newspaper Archive. Today we're proud to announce that we've passed the 50 million pages milestone. But we're not stopping there.

Soon there'll be millions more pages filled with momentous moments, local legends and family folklore.  And you can explore every word with a Findmypast Pro subscription.

Our newspaper archive is the largest collection of British and Irish newspapers in the world and includes the Daily Mirror, Liverpool Echo, Belfast Telegraph and Dundee Courier, as well as many other regional publications that are now out of print.

Extra! Extra! Your family’s in the news

From national news to local events, you'll find your family's colourful story is right there amongst the headlines and small print of our old newspaper pages. You may even catch a glimpse of your ancestor starting back at you. Whether you stumble upon an old photo, political cartoon or courtroom illustration, it could well be worth a thousand words.

Britain's colourful history in black and white

Just like modern Britain, diversity is what makes the British Newspaper Archive so interesting. From Jamaica to Jaipur, you’ll find dozens of international titles to explore.

So even if your family tree has far-flung roots, you might still find your ancestors' life-changing moments in our papers.

Scoop! Over one million pages free

As part of our commitment to digitising diverse and culturally important titles, over one million pages are completely free to view without a subscription, both on Findmypast and the British Newspaper Archive. The digitisation of titles like The Keys provides an incredible view of 1930s Black British history, and the likes of 19th-century newspaper The Chartist shines a light on the rights of the working class.

Together with the British Library, we have committed to digitising a further 19 million pages over the coming years, all available to explore at your fingertips on any device.

Behind every news story there’s a family story, including your own. Read all about it at findmypast.co.uk.