Historedia
EuropeEvent

First Edition of The Times Published

When
1788
Where
London, where the newspaper was based and published; London, home of the original title
Episodes
2

On 1 January 1788 the London newspaper previously titled The Daily Universal Register adopted the name The Times, with John Walter changing the title after 940 editions. The paper had begun in 1785 under its original name, and the renaming established the masthead under which it became a British daily national newspaper.

Episodes

  1. 1 January 1788 · London, where the newspaper was based and publishedThe Daily Universal Register becomes The Times

    After 940 editions, John Walter changed the newspaper's title from The Daily Universal Register to The Times on 1 January 1788.

  2. 1 January 1788 · London, home of the original titleA name that inspired papers worldwide

    The Times was the first newspaper to bear that name, later inspiring numerous other papers around the world.

Background and detail

Background. The newspaper that became The Times was founded by John Walter (1738–1812), who served as editor, and its first publication under the title The Daily Universal Register appeared on 1 January 1785. The paper is based in London, the city associated with its publication.

The Renaming of 1 January 1788. After 940 editions, Walter changed the paper's title on 1 January 1788 to The Times. The source account states the paper began in 1785 as The Daily Universal Register and adopted its modern name on that date, making the first edition of The Times the continuation of the same publication under a new masthead.

Significance of the Name. The Times was the first newspaper to bear that name, and the title went on to inspire numerous other papers around the world. In countries where such other titles are popular, the London paper has been referred to as The London Times or The Times of London, although it is of national scope and distribution.

People involved

  • John Walter · Founder and editor who changed the paper's title to The Times

Sources

  1. The Times Wikipedia, revision of 2026-07-27

Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.