via techcrunch:

http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/08/03/google-quietly-quadruples-its-newspaper-archives/

which picks up on this google blogpost
http://googlenewsblog.blogspot.com/2009/08/extra-extra-updates-from-our-growing.html

"We've recently updated our index, quadrupling the number of articles included in News Archive Search."

"How about the complete June 2, 1753 edition of the Halifax Gazette, one of the oldest newspapers we've digitized to date."