Born in 1937

Turns 89 in 2026

Gifts for someone born in 1937

Front Page: Canada edition. The year is filled in; add their name in the editor. “Your name” is a placeholder. Light news is selected. A new keepsake, not an original newspaper.

BACK TO 1937 · Canada

A little history to go with their gift.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs premiered in Los Angeles, Frank Whittle ground-tested a gas-turbine engine, and Grote Reber built a radio telescope. The year brought a landmark animated film and early steps in jet propulsion and radio astronomy.

What happened in 1937?

Trans-Canada Air Lines is created

Trans-Canada Air Lines was created by an Act of Parliament in April 1937 to develop passenger, freight and mail service across Canada.

Canada's Aviation Hall of Fame

George VI Coronation Recast Public Ceremony

George VI and Queen Elizabeth were crowned at Westminster Abbey on 12 May, joining royal ritual to a newly expanding mass audience.

The Royal Family

Golden Gate Bridge Opened To Pedestrians

The Golden Gate Bridge opened to pedestrians on 27 May 1937, beginning a week of ceremonies before motor traffic followed.

Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District · Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District

Joe Louis Won The Heavyweight Crown

Joe Louis knocked out Jim Braddock in Chicago and became world heavyweight champion on June 22, 1937.

National Park Service · National Park Service

Firsts and new ideas

George VI Led Britain Through Coronation Year

George VI’s first full calendar year on the throne included his May coronation and a carefully observed constitutional role.

The Royal Family

Whittle tests an engine built for jet flight

Frank Whittle’s experimental gas-turbine engine made its first test run at Rugby on April 12, 1937.

RAF Museum · Sir Frank Whittle

Number ones and music in 1937

Chart positions belong to the country and chart named in each record.

Mitzi Green introduces My Funny Valentine

Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart introduced My Funny Valentine in the 1937 Broadway musical Babes in Arms.

Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization · Internet Broadway Database, The Broadway League

Goodman’s band records Sing, Sing, Sing

Benny Goodman and his Orchestra recorded Sing, Sing, Sing in Hollywood in July 1937.

University of California, Santa Barbara Library · Old Time Blues

Prices and everyday money in 1937

Canada figures in the money of the time. Units and sources matter: these are not today's prices.

Recorded prices and earnings, 1937
Item or measureThenUnit and source
Bread, loaf$0.0661 lb
Dominion Bureau of Statistics, Prices Division
Fresh milk$0.1091 quart
Dominion Bureau of Statistics, Prices Division
Eggs$0.3491 dozen
Dominion Bureau of Statistics, Prices Division
Coffee, regular$0.3281 lb
Dominion Bureau of Statistics, Prices Division

Planning the birthday

Someone born in 1937 turns 89 in 2026. Before their birthday they are one year younger. Choose the birth year for the print; add the full date in the editor if you know it.

See milestone birthdays this year