Dr. Annie Besant established two newspapers. The first was a weekly newspaper called "The Commonweal," and the second was "New India," a daily newspaper that was a formidable advocate for Home Rule and revolutionized Indian journalism for 15 years. Besant was born on August 13, 1847 in Pune, India. She was one of the most important women in modern history and played an influential role in the Indian independence movement. In addition to being an activist, she was also a physician who worked with lepers and orphans in India before moving to England where she studied medicine at London's St. Thomas' Hospital. It was there that she met William James Agnus, a fellow student who would become her husband. They were married in 1869 and had three children together. In 1877, Dr. Besant traveled to America where she gave speeches about social reform and international peace building. When she returned to India, she founded the Home Rule Movement which aimed to give power directly to the people through annual elections. This caused her to be imprisoned several times. She was eventually exiled for four years. During this time, she wrote articles for newspapers around India promoting her views on political freedom. When she returned from exile, she began publishing "The Commonweal" which focused on social issues such as women's rights, poverty reduction, and world peace.