Born in 1952
Turns 74 in 2026
Gifts for someone born in 1952
1952 Front PageTheir name. The news from their year.Unframed from $36.50Add their name
Their birth chartThe sky as astrology reads it, cast for one birth.Unframed from $36.50
The Years We Were BornThe whole family, together in years.Unframed from $36.50
Our Story timelineTheir life, told in your words.Unframed from $36.50
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 1952 · Canada
A little history to go with their gift.
Elizabeth II succeeded her father in February, while a Swiss team led by Eduard Wyss-Dunant came closer to Everest’s summit than any climbers before. Gene Kelly’s Singin’ in the Rain also made Hollywood’s transition to sound a lively subject for song and dance.
What happened in 1952?
CBFT begins regular broadcasting in Montreal
CBFT Montreal began regular broadcasting on September 6, 1952, as Canada’s first television station.
The History of Canadian Broadcasting, Canadian Communications Foundation
Swiss climbers reached a record altitude on Everest
The Swiss Everest expedition came within reach of the summit in May 1952, setting a new high-altitude record before exhaustion, failing oxygen equipment and monsoon weather forced retreat.
Helsinki hosted a truly international Olympics
Helsinki welcomed the Summer Olympic Games from 19 July through 3 August 1952.
International Olympic Committee · International Olympic Committee Olympic Studies Centre
U.S. athletes led the Helsinki medal table
The United States finished with the largest medal count at the 1952 Helsinki Summer Olympics.
Firsts and new ideas
A new cesium instrument measured atomic frequency
In 1952, the National Bureau of Standards completed NBS-1, an instrument for measuring cesium resonance frequency.
National Institute of Standards and Technology · RTI International
Selman Waksman received the 1952 medicine Nobel
The 1952 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine went to Rutgers microbiologist Selman Waksman for discovering streptomycin.
Number ones and music in 1952
Chart positions belong to the country and chart named in each record.
A different kind of concert
John Cage's experimental composition premiered at a concert in Woodstock, New York.
Wish You Were Here opens on Broadway
The musical opened at the Imperial Theatre with a book by Joshua Logan and music by Harold Rome.
Internet Broadway Database, The Broadway League · Masterworks Broadway / Sony Music
Prices and everyday money in 1952
Canada figures in the money of the time. Units and sources matter: these are not today's prices.
| Item or measure | Then | Unit and source |
|---|---|---|
| Coffee, regular | $1.014 | 1 lb Dominion Bureau of Statistics, Prices Division |
| Eggs | $0.591 | 1 dozen Dominion Bureau of Statistics, Prices Division |
| Fresh milk | $0.211 | 1 quart Dominion Bureau of Statistics, Prices Division |
| Industry wage | $54.41 | week Statistics Canada |
Planning the birthday
Someone born in 1952 turns 74 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.
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