Steam Powers The Times: London's Mass Media Era Begins
The Times of London printed its November 29, 1814, edition on Friedrich Koenig's steam-powered press, the first newspaper ever produced by steam. The machine could print 1,100 sheets per hour, five times faster than the hand-operated Stanhope press it replaced. Publisher John Walter II had installed the machines in secret, fearing his pressmen would destroy them. He announced the change after the first edition was printed, telling the workers their wages would continue until they found new employment. Koenig, a German inventor, had been trying to sell his press design for years. The Times gave him his break. The steam press transformed newspaper economics: lower production costs meant lower prices, which meant larger audiences. Within decades, cheap daily papers became mass-market products. The penny press revolution of the 1830s would have been impossible without Koenig's invention.
November 28, 1814
212 years ago
Key Figures & Places
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