If the day comes when newspapers of the physical sort will cease to exist, they will take with them a tradition that can be traced back the Roman Empire, whose acta were a daily announcement of the latest in foreign and domestic affairs, carved in stone and posted in the Roman Forum for everyone to read. Newspapers came to their modern form in Europe, and from there spread to the U.S., where because of the sparse population the first ones were published sporadically. Only after the colonies united to became states did regular papers appear.

On this day, May 30, in 1783 Benjamin Towne published the first issue of the daily Pennsylvania Evening Post, the first daily periodical in the United States.

Towne’s daily only lasted 17 months, but as a semi-regular publication it existed from 1775. Towne was able to survive through the War for Independence by supporting the side in power. In 1775 his Evening Post was vocal in opposition to the British; but when Philadelphia was occupied briefly by the British troops, Towne welcomed them with open arms. Then when the Patriots took back the city, Towne published a special “patriotic” edition of his paper in honor of their return.