Who Shares My Birthday.

Birthday newspaper

Your Front Page: 20 May 1981

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 20 May

1981

Keepsake edition · Who Shares My Birthday

The world in 1981

World population4.5 billionApproximate
Average house£25,500Typical UK home
Pint of beer42pIn a UK pub
Loaf of bread40pLarge white loaf
Average salary£6,600UK full-time, per year

Approximate UK averages, in the money of the day

Year of the

Rooster

Metal Rooster, 5 February 1981 to 24 January 1982

Star sign

Taurus

Birthstone

Emerald

On the radio

UK number one on your birthday

Adam and the Ants – “Stand and Deliver”

Most weeks at number one in 1981

  1. 1.Adam and the Ants – Stand and Deliver (5 wks)
  2. 2.John Lennon – Imagine (4 wks)
  3. 3.Shakin' Stevens – Green Door (4 wks)

Christmas number one 1981The Human League – Don't You Want Me

Famous births & deaths

on 20 May

In The News

On 20 May 1981

1981 Belgian Grand Prix

1981. The 1981 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Zolder on 17 May 1981. It was the fifth race of the 1981 Formula One World Championship.

Also in 1981

Also on 20 May in history

Metre Convention

1875. The Metre Convention, also known as the Treaty of the Metre, is an international treaty that was signed in Paris on 20 May 1875 by representatives of 17 nations: Argentina, Austria-Hungary, Belgium, Brazil, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Peru, Portugal, Russia, Spain, Sweden-Norway,…

Battle of Crete

1941. The Battle of Crete, codenamed Operation Mercury, was a major Axis airborne and amphibious operation during World War II to capture the island of Crete.

1883 eruption of Krakatoa

1883. Between 19 May and 21 October 1883, the volcanic island of Krakatoa began erupting, lasting more than five months.

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