The Record at 140

On a winter’s day in 1878, during the long reign of Queen Victoria and the short prime ministership of Alexander Mackenzie, something new appeared on the streets of Berlin, Ont., Canada.

It was the first edition of the Berlin Daily News and the small town’s largely German-Canadian citizenry took it in their stride.

They were accustomed to seeing newspapers come and go — at one point in the late 19th century Berlin boasted three dailies — but they gave it a chance. Perhaps the fact that it was Canada’s first bilingual newspaper — it was printed in English and German — helped.

This newspaper was different, they soon realized. And, as improbable as it might have seemed then, that helped it endure.

While it’s been known by many names since then — it was first called the News Record after a merger in 1897 — the daily newspaper born 140 years ago has served this community faithfully and consistently by gathering news and informing its readers about people, events and ideas that matter in their lives.

As the paper grew, so did the community around it. Towns became cities. Berlin became Kitchener. Waterloo County became Waterloo Region.

The good burghers of 1878 would hardly recognize their community today, how it has grown and been transformed by new technology, starting with cars, electricity and telephones and continuing with computers and mobile devices.

What hasn’t changed is that 1878’s Daily News lives on, under the name Waterloo Region Record.

Keeping a business alive for 14 decades is a monumental achievement.

Being a part of this community for all of that time has been a privilege, responsibility and commitment, all of which we look forward to honouring on paper and online as we work to tell our shared stories in new ways for another 140 years.