Who Shares My Birthday.

Birthday newspaper

Your Front Page: 16 December 1988

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

Friday 16 December

1988

Keepsake edition · Who Shares My Birthday

The world in 1988

World population5.1 billionApproximate
Average house£49,200Typical UK home
Pint of beer94pIn a UK pub
Loaf of bread50pLarge white loaf
Average salary£11,100UK full-time, per year

Approximate UK averages, in the money of the day

Year of the

Dragon

Earth Dragon, 17 February 1988 to 5 February 1989

Star sign

Sagittarius

Birthstone

Turquoise

On the radio

UK number one on your birthday

Cliff Richard – “Mistletoe and Wine" †”

Most weeks at number one in 1988

  1. 1.Kylie Minogue – I Should Be So Lucky (5 wks)
  2. 2.Yazz and the Plastic Population – The Only Way Is Up (5 wks)
  3. 3.Wet Wet Wet / Billy Bragg and Cara Tivey – With a Little Help from My Friends / She's Leaving Home (4 wks)

Christmas number one 1988Cliff Richard – Mistletoe and Wine

Famous births & deaths

on 16 December

In The News

On 16 December 1988

Pan Am Flight 103

1988. Pan Am Flight 103 was a regularly scheduled Pan Am flight from Frankfurt to Detroit, with stopovers in London and New York City. Shortly after 19:00 GMT on 21 December 1988, the Boeing 747 Clipper Maid of the Seas was destroyed by a bomb while flying over the Scottish town of Lockerbie.

Also in 1988

Also on 16 December in history

Boston Tea Party

1773. The Boston Tea Party was an act of protest that took place on December 16, 1773, during the American Revolution.

International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights

1966. The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights is a multilateral treaty that commits nations to respect individuals' civil and political rights, including the right to life, freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, electoral rights and rights to due process and a fair trial.

War of the Austrian Succession

1740. The War of the Austrian Succession, 1740 to 1748, was a conflict between the European great powers, fought primarily in Europe, the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea.

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