Newpapers are a form of instant history, capturing forever the awe and fascination that great historical events inspire. They are also an intriguing source to return to as they reveal the contemporary view of world-changing events, before it can be shaped by subsequent developments.

While newspapers have been around for centuries, it was only when the Industrial Revolution encouraged mass production that newspapers with attention-grabbing banner headlines began to be commonplace. Now that newspapers seem to be in decline, we can look back at the period from the late 19th to early 21st century as the heyday of the newspaper, as well as a period in which the world changed beyond recognition.

Journalist James Maloney details the stories behind the 100 most momentous headlines, including:

Abraham Lincoln Assassinated in 1865.
Jack the Ripper (1888).
Boer War begins (11 Oct 1899).
Russian Revolution (1917).
Wall Street Crashes in 1929.
Hitler Sweeps to Power' in 1933.
Britain declares war with Germany 3 Sept 1939).
Japan declares war on US/ Attack on Pearl Harbor (7 December 1941).
Communist China founded by Mao Tse-tung (1 October 1949).
Watson and Crick discover DNA structure (1953).
Cuban missile crisis (1962).
J.F. Kennedy Assassinated (22 Nov 1963).
First man on the moon/Apollo 11 (21 July 1969).
Scientists identify AIDS (1981).
Chernobyl (April 26 1986).
Mandela (age 75) freed from jail (1990).
Death of Princess Diana (31 Aug 1997).
911 terror attacks (2001).
Saddam Hussein's capture (13 Dec 2003).
Bin Laden Shot Dead. in 2011.
Death of Steve Jobs/Apple (5 October 2011).