New York Times prints Northup correction 161 years later
161 years after its mistake, the New York Times has printed a correction for misspelling the name of a black man sold into slavery.
Solomon Northup, a free slave tricked into slavery is the man who the Oscar-winning film “12 Years a Slave” is based on.
In a Jan. 20, 1853, article, the Times misspelled Solomon Northup’s surname as Northrop and as Northrup. The Times corrected Northup’s name on Tuesday, after the errors were pointed out by someone looking at its archives. The correction said the article about Northup had “misspelled his surname as Northrop. And the headline misspelled it as Northrup.”
Northup, who was born a free slave in New York, was kidnapped and sold into captivity in 1841.
He spent the next 12 years in Louisiana before regaining his freedom. “12 Years a Slave” won an Oscar for best picture at the Academy Awards on Sunday. Lupita Nyong’o who played Patsy also took home an Oscar for best supporting actress.
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