This year marks a very special moment in the history of the Guardian. It is 200 years since the first incarnation of the newpaper, a four-page weekly, first appeared in Manchester. In honour of this we have dug very deep into our archive to bring you a piece from 100 years ago. In May 1921, the great Manchester Guardian editor CP Scott wrote a leading article to mark the centenary of the paper. The essay, published under the headline “A Hundred Years”, is still recognised around the world as the blueprint for independent journalism. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod