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Often nicknamed ‘The Gray Lady,’ The New York Times is among the most historic newspapers in the world. Its storied past is so intriguing and compelling that we’ve dedicated an entire list to exploring its remarkable journey.
From its modest origins to its iconic crossword puzzle, these facts cover it all. Did you know that The New York Times initially despised the puzzle, even labeling it a ‘familiar form of madness’? What led to their change of heart, and why were they once fixated on bus accidents? The revelations might astonish you.
10. The Founder of The New York Times Defended Against Angry Protesters Using a Gatling Gun
On July 13, 1863, fierce demonstrators flooded the streets of New York, protesting the conscription law enacted by the US Congress on March 3 of that year. This law enabled the Union to draft citizens into military service during the Civil War, while wealthier individuals could evade conscription by paying $300.
The four-day uprising resulted in 119 deaths, marking it as the bloodiest riot in American history. Protesters ransacked stores, torched public and private properties, and demolished train tracks and telegraph lines. They targeted and killed affluent whites, free African Americans, and anyone opposing slavery or endorsing the draft.
Newspaper offices, including The New York Times, were attacked and set ablaze for publishing anti-slavery articles. However, The New York Times was saved when its founder and editor, Henry Raymond, positioned two Gatling guns atop his headquarters. The Gatling gun, a rapid-fire weapon, is regarded as the forerunner of the modern machine gun.
Raymond warned the protesters he would open fire if they approached his building. The massive crowd of 5,000 wisely retreated and redirected their aggression toward the unprotected New-York Daily Tribune. According to the New-York Daily Tribune, the assault was spearheaded by young newsboys, some as young as 12, who delivered newspapers for the company.
9. The New York Times Once Criticized The Crossword Puzzle
The New York Times is renowned for its crossword puzzles. However, it initially criticized the puzzle when the now-defunct New York World introduced the first crossword in 1913.
The New York World crossword was invented by journalist Arthur Wynne. It featured a diamond shape, lacked black squares, and was exclusively published in the newspaper’s Sunday editions. By 1920, nearly all New York-based newspapers had adopted the trend, except for The New York Times.
The New York Times openly expressed its disdain for crossword puzzles. One columnist even penned an article titled “A Familiar Form of Madness,” criticizing puzzles as “a primitive form of mental exercise” with no real impact on intellectual growth.
The columnist further argued that puzzles were not a sport but merely a way to kill time. He dismissed them as a “sinful waste” focused on fitting words into prearranged patterns, calling the activity utterly futile.
The New York Times reversed its stance on puzzles following Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Lester Markel, the Sunday edition editor, convinced the publisher that readers needed a distraction from the grim updates of World War II.
That distraction turned out to be the crossword puzzle. The New York Times debuted its first puzzle on February 15, 1942, and has continued the tradition ever since.
8. The New York Times Attempted to Alter Its Slogan in 1896
The iconic slogan “All the News That’s Fit to Print” is synonymous with The New York Times. However, this might not have been the case if the newspaper had succeeded in changing its slogan back in 1896.
At that time, The New York Times was struggling and losing its audience to rival publications. This began to shift when Adolph S. Ochs took over the newspaper and aimed to position it as a leader in American journalism. Ochs believed a new slogan was essential to revitalize its image.
He launched a contest, inviting readers to propose a slogan of 10 words or fewer that captured the essence of The New York Times. The winning entry would earn $100.
Participants submitted creative slogans such as “News, Not Nausea,” “Fresh Facts Free From Filth,” “Truth Without Trumpery,” and “Make Much of Me—Good Papers Are Scarce.” Other entries included “Sensible News for Sensible Folks,” “A Decent Newspaper for Decent People,” “Clean News for Clean People,” and “Honest News for Honest People.”
Some entries drew comparisons to food, resulting in amusing taglines like “Choice Cuts From Life’s News Mart,” “Full of Meat, Clean and Neat,” “Treasures From Earth’s News Harvest,” “Bread of Sifted Wheat; News of Sifted Truth,” “The Wheat of News Threshed of Chaff,” and “What Is Good Luck? Three Square Meals and The Times.”
Other submissions featured slogans like “News Without Noise,” “All News When Fit, When Not We Wait a Bit,” “We Propose to Demonstrate That Journalism Is a Decent Profession,” “It’s Safe to Read The Times,” “Paper, Ink, Brains and Conscience,” “Brainy, Not Harebrained,” “A History of Today,” and “Cleanliness Is Honesty! Give Me a Bathtub and The New York Times.”
Other entries included “Treats Honestly Every Topic Interesting Men Except Scandals,” “A Light in a Dark Place,” and “Out Heralds The Herald, Informs The World, Extinguishes The Sun.” The latter was a direct jab at rival newspapers The Herald, The World, and The Sun, which competed with The New York Times.
D.M. Redfield emerged as the winner with his suggestion, “All the World’s News, but Not a School for Scandal.” Although Redfield received the $100 prize, The New York Times decided not to adopt his slogan, opting instead to retain their iconic phrase, “All the News That’s Fit to Print.”
7. The New York Times Explored a Separate Slogan for Its Website
In the 1990s, The New York Times contemplated introducing a distinct slogan for its website. Following Adolph S. Ochs’s tradition, the newspaper held a contest, offering $100 for the best slogan. The competition was announced on August 18, 1996—marking exactly a century since Ochs acquired the publication.
By the contest’s conclusion, The New York Times had received over 8,000 submissions. Notable entries included “News of the Land, Without Dirty Hands,” “The News of the Day, a Click Away,” “The Times @ Any Time,” “All the News That’s Fit to Print Out,” and “All the News That’s Fit to Click.”
The winners were 23 individuals who advocated keeping the slogan “All the News That’s Fit to Print.” Dr. Fred A. Ringwald, one of the participants, praised the old slogan, stating, “It’s a brilliant phrase that aligns perfectly with the mission of The New York Times, regardless of the medium. Why change it?”
Another contestant, Richard Olsen, commented, “Stick with ‘All the News That’s Fit to Print.’ That’s The Times. Nothing more needs to be said.” Nigel Euling advised, “Don’t alter it! History will not look kindly on such a change.” Karen Pike Davis questioned, “Why mess with perfection? The slogan has said it all for a century. Why change now?”
6. The Crossword Puzzle Editor Holds the World’s Only Degree in Enigmatology
Will Shortz has served as the crossword puzzle editor for The New York Times since 1993. His passion for puzzles began in childhood when his mother gave him his first crossword. By 14, he was creating and selling his own puzzles.
As he grew older, Shortz decided to elevate his passion by studying enigmatology, the academic analysis of puzzles, in college. While no school officially offered this field, Indiana University allowed him to design his own major, making him the first to earn a degree in enigmatology.
To this day, Shortz is believed to be the only person with a degree in enigmatology. He also holds a law degree from the University of Virginia.
5. The Internet Prompted a Reduction in Newspaper Size
As readers increasingly turned to the Internet for news, many newspapers downsized their print editions to cut costs. Advertisers followed the audience online, impacting the financial stability of numerous US newspapers. The New York Times resisted this trend until April 2008, when it finally reduced its paper size.
In 2006, The New York Times announced plans to shrink its newspapers by 3.8 centimeters (1.5 inches) within two years, reducing the space for news by approximately 5 percent. The company also disclosed the closure of its Edison, New Jersey, printing facility, resulting in 250 job losses.
4. BuzzFeed Once Borrowed Its Iconic Slogan
BuzzFeed admitted to borrowing The New York Times’s slogan. Shani O. Hilton, head of BuzzFeed’s US news division, even added “with apologies to the Gray Lady” in a blog post discussing the show and the slogan.
After The New York Times involved its legal team, BuzzFeed altered its slogan. However, the viral site didn’t back down quietly. Spokesperson Matt Mittenthal remarked, “We’re pleased The Times is tuning in to our new show, just like our growing audience.”
3. The New York Times Originated the Famous Times Square Ball Drop
Every New Year, an illuminated ball descends from a flagpole in Times Square, New York. The Times Square Ball Drop has become a global phenomenon, attracting around 1.2 billion viewers annually. Authorities even halt traffic in the square from the afternoon of December 31 to accommodate the event.
The celebration is managed by the Times Square Alliance. Notably, The New York Times initiated this tradition over a century ago to highlight their new headquarters located in the square. Originally named Longacre Square, the area was rebranded as Times Square in 1905.
The first ball drop occurred on New Year’s Day 1905, orchestrated by The New York Times. On the morning of December 31, 1904, the newspaper ran a front-page ad inviting the public to witness the midnight celebration at their new building. By 9:00 PM, the square was packed with spectators.
Interestingly, the inaugural event featured fireworks instead of a ball. A controlled dynamite explosion at midnight created the illusion of the building being ablaze. The tradition continued the following year, and The New York Times used fireworks until 1907, when the first electrified ball was introduced.
2. It Initially Resisted the Trend of Color Printing
The New York Times was among the last major US newspapers to adopt color printing, starting in 1993. This was long after competitors like USA Today had embraced color printing in 1982.
The Book Review section was the first to experiment with color, featuring a green-and-orange snake design. This section was chosen because it focused on books rather than images or vibrant colors. The editors assumed readers wouldn’t mind if the color quality wasn’t perfect.
Color debuted on the front page on October 16, 1997, surprising staff who believed the paper would never transition to color. The New York Times had considered color printing earlier but waited due to ongoing technical improvements. At the time, many newspapers struggled with poor-quality color printing.
1. The Fascination with Bus Accidents
Readers of traditional print newspapers may notice that terms like “fall” or “plummet” are rarely used to describe buses that go off bridges, cliffs, or other heights. Instead, the term “plunge” is preferred. Why do buses plunge rather than fall or plummet?
The term “bus plunge” stories originated in the early 1900s when newspapers needed short articles to fill empty spaces. These fillers were either “K-heds” or plunge stories. K-heds were often trivial one-liners, such as one from a 1950s edition of The New York Times: “Most snails are both male and female, according to the Associated Press.”
Plunge stories about buses were typically longer than K-heds. A standard bus plunge story might read:
“Eight people died today when a small bus plunged off a [91-meter (300 ft)] cliff into the sea near the town of Mogan. One man leaped from the bus before it went over the edge and survived. All the victims were Spanish.”
Similar to other bus plunge stories, the article above was structured from the most critical details to the least. This allowed editors to trim entire sentences if a shorter version was needed. Newspapers also favored countries with concise names like Peru or Spain over longer ones such as Argentina.
The New York Times had a particular affinity for bus plunge stories compared to its contemporaries. However, like other newspapers, it discontinued publishing filler and bus plunge stories in the 1980s and 1990s when software became the standard for newspaper layout.
