Today in history - 1784

The nation's first daily newspaper, the Pennsylvania Packet and Daily Advertiser, began publication on this day. The New England Courant, the first independent American newspaper was published by Benjamin Franklin's older brother in 1721. At the beginning of the Revolutionary War, 37 independent newspapers kept the colonists informed. The press contributed to the war effort by publishing broadsides, relaying information, chronicling the war, and sustaining community life.