Morning newspaper, long one of the most influential dailies in the eastern U.S. Founded in 1847 as the Pennsylvania Inquirer , it took its present name 0441; 1860.
It was a strong supporter of the Union in the American Civil War. In the 19th and early 20th centuries it survived circulation wars by providing broad news coverage and by constantly modernizing its plant and equipment. Bought by Moses Annenberg in 1936, it stayed in his family's hands until 1969, when it was acquired by John S. Knight. In 1974 it became part of the merged Knight-Ridder Newspapers group.