Why did newspapers need ironing?

Answer 1

As far back as Bible times, there was public interest in what the leaders of a country were doing, what events were taking place amongst the elites-- in other words, who was making news. In oral cultures, story-tellers (some of whom spoke the news, and others of whom sang it) became very important because it was they who kept the populace informed-- in large empires, rumors or misinformation could easily spread, and people liked to know what was really happening, especially what had occurred in distant cities; thus, the story-tellers were like reporters, telling about what the king had done or what battles had been fought. (There was no expectation of instant information-- events that occurred months ago were still considered "new" because people were hearing about them for the first time.)

As for why the newspaper was invented, it was undoubtedly an effort to control and standardize information, as we moved from an oral culture to a written one. While story-tellers had met the needs of a population that could not read, there were problems with oral transmission of news-- mainly, there were various versions of whatever had occurred, depending on who was speaking or singing it. With a written version, there was one official record of the story, and everyone who knew how to read had access to the same facts. Later, conflicting versions would arise, but at first, there was one official version, usually coming from the leaders themselves-- they wanted to make sure the public knew what was happening, and they wanted the public to know all the positive things that the government had achieved.

Perhaps the first "newspaper" was published in ancient Rome in 59 BCE; the ACTA DIURNA, or the "Daily Activities" was comprised of whatever Julius Caesar (or other Roman leaders) felt the public needed to know, and it was posted in central places so it could be read by large groups. Once the printing press was invented by Johannes Gutenberg, circa 1452-54, it became easier to print other, sometimes conflicting, versions of the news. This gave the public more information, but it also caused problems-- governments often tried to stop publications they didn't like. For example, in North America, the first newspaper, PUBLICK OCCURRENCES, which appeared in 1690, was quickly shut down by the king of England, who did not like the idea of the colonists having their own newspaper.

Today, in our internet world, most people continue to try to be well-informed, and newspapers still provide the daily record of what is happening in a given city or state or country. Not as many people are reading the print versions, but online versions of newspapers are providing the same valuable service (as well as up-dating breaking news stories much more quickly than print was able to do).

Answer 2

To dry the ink, so as to not mire one's fingers or the fingers of one's master with ink; not to mention making the paper crisp therefore easier to read.

Answer 3

Newspapers were ironed in the past to remove wrinkles and make them easier to read. Ironing also helped preserve the paper and prevent it from becoming brittle or yellowing over time.

Answer 4

to dry the ink so it won't get on your hands, and to get the creases out to make it easier to read. Only aristocrats had their butlers do this.