The Star was first published on Sept 9, 1971, starting off as a regional newspaper with its plant in George Town, Penang.

Its birth created a couple of firsts in the country - it was the first tabloid and the first English language daily to be printed using the web-offset process.

Over the next five years, the newspaper's circulation grew rapidly and by early 1976, it became Penang's premier newspaper, outselling the then 139-year-old New Straits Times.

During the same period, too, Malaysia's first prime minister Tunku Abdul Rahman, who had retired a few years earlier, joined the board of Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd (the publisher of The Star and its sister paper, Sunday Star) and became its chairman.

The Star went national on Jan 3, 1976, when it set up an office in Kuala Lumpur. Two years later, it relocated its headquarters from Penang to Kuala Lumpur.

To accommodate a growing staff and a new press incorporating the latest technology, it moved its headquarters from Kuala Lumpur to its present premises in Petaling Jaya in 1981.

On June 23, 1995, Star Publications created history when it became the first Malaysian newspaper -- and the third in Asia -- to launch a World Wide Web edition.

The Star also achieved a new milestone in its corporate history in 1995 by being listed on the Main Board of the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange. In the year 2000, The Star relocated in stages to its very own 17-storey premises, Menara Star in Section 16, Petaling Jaya.

In January 2002, The Star's new printing plant, Star Media Hub was officially opened by the Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia, YAB Dato' Seri Abdullah bin Haji Ahmad Badawi in Shah Alam, Selangor. The Star also has a new office and printing plant - Star Northern Hub in Bayan Lepas, Penang. These new lines will increase printing capacity and offer greater flexibility for newspaper pagination and colour.

The Star has undergone many changes in its growth but one characteristic remains the same - its reporting style continues to be refreshing, with news and articles that are varied to cater to different interests.