Who Shares My Birthday.

Birthday newspaper

Your Front Page: 24 January 1979

A personalised newspaper front page from the day you were born, printed in the style of your birth year.

Enter your date of birth

Your personalised birthday front page

Printed in the style of your birth year, a keepsake to frame, print or share.

Optional. Your birthplace names the masthead; it stays on this device.

The World Birthday Chronicle

Born on

Wednesday 24 January

1979

Keepsake edition · Who Shares My Birthday

The world in 1979

World population4.4 billionApproximate
Average house£21,100Typical UK home
Pint of beer33pIn a UK pub
Loaf of bread33pLarge white loaf
Average salary£5,400UK full-time, per year

Approximate UK averages, in the money of the day

Year of the

Horse

Earth Horse, 7 February 1978 to 27 January 1979

Star sign

Aquarius

Birthstone

Garnet

On the radio

UK number one on your birthday

Ian Dury and the Blockheads – “Hit Me with Your Rhythm Stick”

Most weeks at number one in 1979

  1. 1.Art Garfunkel – Bright Eyes (6 wks)
  2. 2.Blondie – Heart of Glass (4 wks)
  3. 3.Gloria Gaynor – I Will Survive (4 wks)

Christmas number one 1979Pink Floyd – Another Brick in the Wall (Part II)

Famous births & deaths

on 24 January

In The News

On 24 January 1848

California Gold Rush

1848. The California gold rush was a gold rush in California, which began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California.

Also in 1979

Also on 24 January in history

Estates General of 1789

1789. The Estates General of 1789 was a general assembly representing the French estates of the realm: the clergy, the nobility, and the commoners.

Table of Ranks

1722. The Table of Ranks was a formal list of positions and ranks in the military, government, and court of Imperial Russia.

Domodedovo International Airport bombing

2011. The Domodedovo International Airport bombing was a suicide bombing in the international arrival hall of Moscow Domodedovo Airport, in Domodedovsky District, Moscow Oblast, on 24 January 2011.

Compiled by Who Shares My Birthday from Wikipedia, Wikidata and UK chart records

How your birthday newspaper is made

Enter your date of birth and we will print a one-off newspaper front page for the day you were born. The headline is a real historical event from our archive, chosen from your exact birth date where we have one, then from the same week, then from the same date in an earlier year. The page also shows famous people born and died on your birthday, your star sign, birthstone and Chinese zodiac year, the UK number one single, the biggest hits and Christmas number one of your birth year, the world population and the cost of living in Britain at the time.

  • Your page is laid out as a vintage keepsake poster in sepia ink, with boxed panels for the world in your birth year, your Chinese zodiac year, star sign and birthstone, the UK charts, famous births and deaths on your birthday, and the news.
  • Headlines and summaries come from our archive of historical events, built from Wikidata and reviewed by our editorial team. Chart facts come from the official UK singles chart record, which began on 14 November 1952.
  • Add your town or country of birth to name the masthead, for example The Manchester Birthday Chronicle. Your birthplace is stored only on your device.
  • Every front page has its own link, so you can send it to friends and family, and you can download it as a high-resolution image to print or frame.

Questions people ask

Frequently asked questions

How do I get a newspaper front page from the day I was born?
Enter your day, month and year of birth above and press the button. Your personalised front page appears instantly, with its own link you can share and a download button for a print-quality image.
Are the headlines real?
Yes. Every headline is a real historical event from our archive. If nothing in our archive happened on your exact birth date, we use an event from the same week, or the most recent event on the same date in an earlier year, and the label above the headline says which.
Why does my front page look different from a friend's?
Every page is built from your exact birth date, so the news, the people, the charts and the prices all change with the day and year you were born.
Is the birthday newspaper free?
Yes. Creating, sharing and downloading your personalised birthday front page costs nothing.

Further reading

Reviewed by the Who Shares My Birthday editorial team.

Last reviewed: October 2026