The Baltimore Sun's history is among the longest and most distinguished in American journalism.
Founded by Arunah Shepherdson Abell, a journeyman printer from Rhode Island who believed in the concept of a people's paper devoted to the news that most directly affected the lives of its readers, The Sun first appeared on Wednesday, May 17, 1837. That issue consisted of four tabloid-size pages, sold for a penny, and was in marked contrast to the six-cent "literary" dailies then in fashion all along the East Coast.
Only a handful of people were involved in publishing the first edition of The Sun in 1837; in fact, it is likely that Arunah Abell set type himself. The first issue of The Sun was printed in a small, antiquated building at 21 Light Street.
In 1851, the company built the celebrated Sun Iron Building, a five-story structure with design and construction concepts that made it the forerunner of the contemporary skyscraper. Located at the corner of Baltimore and South streets, the Iron Building was destroyed in the historic fire of 1904 that razed 20 downtown blocks. In 1906, the company moved into a building at the intersection of Charles and Baltimore streets, where it stayed until moving to its present location at 501 N. Calvert Street in 1950.
In April 1988, the company purchased 60 acres of land at Port Covington and began building a new satellite facility to handle printing and packaging for the newspaper. Sun Park opened in 1992.
In September 1996, the company launched its Web site, which at the time was called Sunspot.net. In 2004, the Web site was renamed baltimoresun.com.
In June 2000, Times Mirror merged with Tribune Company, making The Sun a subsidiary of Tribune, a major-market, multimedia leader with operations in television and radio broadcasting, publishing and interactive media. In 2007, real estate entrepreneur Sam Zell acquired Tribune Company.
The company's accomplishments through the years are reflected in the Pulitzer prizes and numerous other awards it and its reporters have earned, and in the distinguished directory of bylines that have appeared in its pages, including H.L. Mencken, Russell Baker and Alice Steinbach.
Over the years, The Baltimore Sun has continued to provide the most comprehensive local news and information for our readers, and results for its advertisers.
