It is the merit of one single newspaper, “Le Matin”, to have initiated the “Peking-to-Paris” rally of 1907 and the great race “New York-Paris” of 1908. The paper was founded in Paris on February 26th, 1884, by an American, Sam Chamberlain. “Le Matin” wanted to distinguish itself from other newspapers. Around the turn of the century, “Le Matin” moves to 6 boulevard Poissonnière in the 10th ‘arrondissement’ (district) of Paris.

It was to become a great newspaper, located in spacious buildings, with a huge number of employees and highly sophisticated technical equipment for the day. Its new owner, Maurice Bunau-Varilla, launches a number of spectacular campaigns, amongst which the two automobile raids of 1907 and 1908. In its heighdays, around 1917, the paper prints 1.6 million copies per day! But between 1918 and 1939, sales drop to a mere 320,000 copies. As off the 1930,'s the paper sympathizes with far right-wing policies and during the occupation of France by Nazi Germany, it sides with the enemy. In August 1944, shortly after Bunau-Varilla's death, the paper ceases to exist.

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