Who Shares My Birthday.

Birthday newspaper

Your Front Page: 31 July 1985

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 31 July

1985

Keepsake edition · Who Shares My Birthday

The world in 1985

World population4.9 billionApproximate
Average house£33,200Typical UK home
Pint of beer70pIn a UK pub
Loaf of bread50pLarge white loaf
Average salary£8,900UK full-time, per year

Approximate UK averages, in the money of the day

Year of the

Ox

Wood Ox, 20 February 1985 to 8 February 1986

Star sign

Leo

Birthstone

Ruby

On the radio

UK number one on your birthday

Madonna – “Into the Groove”

Most weeks at number one in 1985

  1. 1.Paul Hardcastle – 19 (5 wks)
  2. 2.Jennifer Rush – The Power of Love (5 wks)
  3. 3.Elaine Paige and Barbara Dickson – I Know Him So Well (4 wks)

Christmas number one 1985Shakin' Stevens – Merry Christmas Everyone

Famous births & deaths

on 31 July

In The News

On 31 July 1917

Third Battle of Ypres

1917. The Third Battle of Ypres, also known as the Battle of Passchendaele, was a campaign of the First World War, fought by the Allies against the German Empire.

Also in 1985

Also on 31 July in history

Russo-Persian War of 1826–28

1826. The Russo-Persian War of 1826–1828 was the last major military conflict between the Russian Empire and Qajar Iran, which was fought over territorial disputes in the South Caucasus region.

Assassination of Ismail Haniyeh

2024. On 31 July 2024, Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of Hamas, was assassinated along with his personal bodyguard in the Iranian capital Tehran by an Israeli attack.

START I

1991. START I was a bilateral treaty between the United States and the Soviet Union on the reduction and the limitation of strategic offensive arms.

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