Born in 1929
Turns 97 in 2026
Gifts for someone born in 1929
1929 Front PageTheir name. The news from their year.Unframed from $51.50Add their name
Their birth chartThe sky as astrology reads it, cast for one birth.Unframed from $51.50
The Years We Were BornThe whole family, together in years.Unframed from $51.50
Our Story timelineTheir life, told in your words.Unframed from $51.50
Front Page: New Zealand 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 1929 · New Zealand
A little history to go with their gift.
A sharp fall in Wall Street share prices shook markets, the Lateran Treaty settled a long dispute between Italy and the Holy See, and Britain formed a Labour government. These records show political change alongside a growing financial crisis.
What happened in 1929?
Auckland War Memorial Museum opens
Auckland’s War Memorial Museum and cenotaph opened on 28 November 1929.
Italy and the Vatican settle their dispute
Italy and the Holy See signed the Lateran Treaty on 11 February 1929, recognising Vatican City as a sovereign state and ending the Roman Question.
The Young Plan revises Germany’s debt
The Young Plan was agreed in 1929 to reduce and reschedule Germany’s reparations burden after the First World War.
Graf Zeppelin sets out from Lakehurst
Graf Zeppelin departed Lakehurst, New Jersey, on August 8, 1929, for its celebrated round-the-world airship flight.
Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum · Federal Aviation Administration
Firsts and new ideas
Hubble publishes a galaxy-distance relation
Edwin Hubble’s 1929 paper described a relation between the distances and radial velocities of distant galaxies.
Blackmail carries a thriller into sound
Alfred Hitchcock’s Blackmail arrived in 1929 in silent and sound versions, with the sound version recognised as Britain’s first feature-length talkie.
Number ones and music in 1929
Chart positions belong to the country and chart named in each record.
Singin' in the Rain reaches the screen
Singin' in the Rain was introduced in MGM's Hollywood Revue of 1929 and published by the studio that year.
Puttin' on the Ritz enters print
Irving Berlin's Puttin' on the Ritz was published as New York sheet music in 1929.
Prices and everyday money in 1929
New Zealand figures in the money of the time. Units and sources matter: these are not today's prices.
| Item or measure | Then | Unit and source |
|---|---|---|
| Average minimum adult wage rate, Bakers—Journeymen | 100s 0d | NZ pounds/shillings/pence per week New Zealand Department of Statistics |
| Average minimum adult wage rate, Labourers (table occurrence 1) | 80s 6d | NZ pounds/shillings/pence per week New Zealand Department of Statistics |
| Average minimum adult wage rate, Butchers— First shopmen | 116s 10½d | NZ pounds/shillings/pence per week New Zealand Department of Statistics |
| Average minimum adult wage rate, Second shopmen | 105s 0d | NZ pounds/shillings/pence per week New Zealand Department of Statistics |
Planning the birthday
Someone born in 1929 turns 97 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