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The paper’s first publisher was Norman Brown. On Jan. 13, 1946, Volume 1, Number 1 of his weekly Anchorage News rolled off a Linotype hand-fed press from type set by hand. The first edition was 16 tabloid-sized pages, which were sold on newsstands and distributed through the post office. There was no home delivery. In May 1948, the News went from weekly to six days a week.

On April 13, 1964, the Daily News converted from afternoon to morning delivery. The switchover came only two weeks after the Good Friday Earthquake. The next year -- on June 13 -- the Daily News began publishing Alaska's first Sunday newspaper.

Three years later, in 1969, Larry Fanning, a respected newspaper editor in San Francisco and Chicago, and his wife Kay purchased the Daily News. When the Fannings bought the Daily News, the circulation was 18,000.

In February 1971, the 56-year old Fanning died of a heart attack at his desk at the Daily News. Kay Fanning, who had been working as the newspaper’s librarian, suddenly became editor and publisher of the Daily News.

The Daily News was locked in a competitive struggle against The Anchorage Times, the long-dominant afternoon daily. While the Daily News consistently produced superior enterprise journalism to that of the Times, it was steadily failing financially.

In August 1974, Kay Fanning and Robert Atwood, owner and publisher of The Times, entered into a joint operating agreement. The JOA was an exemption from federal anti-trust law that allowed the newspapers to combine circulation, advertising and production operations in order to preserve the separate editorial voice of the failing Daily News.

In 1976, the Daily News received the Pulitzer Prize Gold Medal for Public Service, the first Pulitzer ever won by an Alaska newspaper. The award was for a series called "Empire -- The Alaska Teamster Story." The stories were reported and written by Howard Weaver, Bob Porterfield and Jim Babb, three of only eight reporters on the News' 20-person staff.

In February 1977, The Daily News filed suit against the Times, claiming violations of the joint operating agreement between the papers. After a countersuit by the Times, and prolonged arbitration throughout the spring of 1978, the News and Times reached an out-of-court settlement in September 1978. Under the terms of the agreement, the Times would pay Fanning $750,000 and continue printing the News for six months. On March 31, 1979, the joint operating agreement would be dissolved and the Daily News would have to be a fully functioning newspaper, with a press and advertising and circulation departments.

Kay Fanning went looking for investors. In January 1979, McClatchy Newspapers of Sacramento, Calif., acquired 80 percent ownership of the Daily News. In February, McClatchy purchased a $1.1 million building complex on Potter Drive to house the paper. Jerry Grilly was recruited from Suncoast Newspapers in Florida to take over as general manager.

A vigorous battle for circulation ensured. By late 1982, weekday circulation of the Daily News passed 50,000 and the News became Alaska's largest newspaper.

In the summer of 1983, Kay Fanning announced that she had been offered and would accept the editorship of the Boston-based Christian Science Monitor. Howard Weaver became editor. The following January, Grilly was named publisher.

Circulation continued to grow. In the summer of 1984, the News announced it would build a new facility to replace house all of its operations under one roof. In June 1986, the Daily News moved into its new $30 million facility at 1001 Northway Drive.

The Daily News won its second Pulitzer Prize Gold Medal for Public Service in 1989. A series called “People in Peril” examined problems of alcoholism and self-destruction affecting Native Alaskans. Winning a second Pulitzer Gold Medal was a recognition few newspapers achieve.

After a long, intense battle for circulation and advertising, the owners of The Anchorage Times made the decision to shut it down for good in June 1992. In an effort to preserve the separate editorial voice of the Times, the Daily News agreed to give the editors of the Times a half-page each day directly across from the News’ editorial/opinion page. The arrangement is almost unique in American newspaper history.

In the summer of 1993, publisher Grilly accepted a new position with McClatchy. Fuller Cowell, an Alaskan who had held several executive positions with McClatchy, was named publisher.

Community service and involvement remained high priorities for the Daily News. The Neighbor to Neighbor fund collected contributions of more than $55,000 for local charities, and the Daily news directly supported more than 160 local organizations with cash and in-kind donations. A Kids Voting program was launched to help counter voter apathy by getting youngsters involved in the electoral process.

In 1995, the Daily News was recognized by the Society of Newspaper Design with 50 awards, placing it third in the world. Other awards included a national first-place for science coverage and an Associated Press Sports Editors’ award for best special section. Also that year, a new weekly entertainment guide called “8” was launched.

The first online version of the Daily News -- called adn.com – was launched in 1996. Also that year, the features, entertainment and TV sections were redesigned, and a weekly page for high school students was added.

After a long career in the newsroom, Patrick Dougherty became editor of the Daily News in 1998. The redesigned features section won a national first-place award for general excellence.

Fuller Cowell retired in 1999 after six years as publisher. The newsroom launched Valley Sports, a Sunday section of local stories focused on the Matanuska and Susitna valleys north of Anchorage. The online version of the newspaper was expanded, drawing in more users than ever before.

In 2000, Michael J. Sexton was recruited to succeed Cowell as president and publisher of the Daily News. The entire newspaper was redesigned, offering a more consistent and usable format for readers. The website adn.com continued to grow rapidly with an increase in page views of 97 percent over the previous year. The paper’s long history of community service was recognized when it was selected as the outstanding philanthropic organization in Alaska that year.

Despite downturns throughout the industry, the Daily News saw circulation growth in 2001. A second website, Alaska.com, was launched that year. Both Alaska.com and adn.com showed remarkable growth. In addition, the newspaper published an historical book called “Our Alaska,” which featured photos contributed by readers and local businesses.