If anyone were in any doubt about the truth of the opening line of L.P. Hartley\u2019s 1953 novel \u201cThe Go-Between\u201d \u2014 \u201cThe past is a foreign country; they do things differently there\u201d \u2014 they need only take a trip down the memory lane that is the Arab News archive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Launched on Sunday April 20, 1975, as Saudi Arabia\u2019s first English-language newspaper, for the past 45 years Arab News has been the nation\u2019s go-to paper of record, covering regional and global events for the benefit of nationals and expats alike.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the same time, however, it has built an invaluable archive of contemporary coverage of events that serves as a first draft of history for future generations \u2014 and a reminder that the past is indeed a foreign country. Perhaps nothing illustrates the gulf between then and now so much as the adverts to be found in the earliest issues of the newspaper, many of which reflect social history in the making.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For a reminder of just how boxy most cars used to be, look no further than page 5 of the issue of Dec. 5, 1979, where none other than former world champion boxer Muhammad Ali, still two years away from an overdue retirement, promotes the virtues of \u201cseven world champions\u201d from Toyota<\/a> on behalf of Saudi car company Abdul Latif Jameel<\/a>. \u201cWhen it comes to boxing, I am the champ!\u201d Ali declares, with his left fist raised. \u201cBut when it comes to cars and trucks, nobody can beat Toyota!\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":11087,"menu_order":0,"template":"","class_list":["post-11085","inthenews","type-inthenews","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n