Born in 1936
Turns 90 in 2026 · 90th birthday gifts
90th birthday gifts for someone born in 1936
1936 Front PageTheir name. The news from their year.Unframed from £21.50Add their name
Their birth chartThe sky as astrology reads it, cast for one birth.Unframed from £21.50
The Years We Were BornThe whole family, together in years.Unframed from £21.50
Our Story timelineTheir life, told in your words.Unframed from £21.50
Front Page: United Kingdom 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 1936 · United Kingdom
A little history to go with their gift.
Alan Turing submitted his paper on computable numbers, Jerome Kern and Dorothy Fields wrote The Way You Look Tonight, and Bing Crosby recorded Pennies from Heaven. These works helped shape ideas about computing and songs that travelled beyond their first audiences.
What happened in 1936?
Turing submits On Computable Numbers
Alan Turing’s manuscript was received by the London Mathematical Society on 28 May 1936; the journal publication followed in 1937.
Proceedings of the London Mathematical Society / Oxford Academic · Proceedings of the London Mathematical Society facsimile
The Way You Look Tonight debuts in Swing Time
Jerome Kern and Dorothy Fields wrote The Way You Look Tonight for Swing Time, where Fred Astaire performed it in the 1936 film.
Pennies from Heaven enters the recording book
Bing Crosby recorded Pennies from Heaven on 24 July 1936, helping Arthur Johnston and Johnny Burke’s song begin its durable standard-pop afterlife.
Britain and Egypt sign a new treaty
Britain and Egypt signed a treaty on 26 August 1936, ending the formal protectorate while preserving British military privileges and strategic influence.
Firsts and new ideas
Zuse begins building the Z1 in Berlin
In Berlin, Konrad Zuse began assembling the Z1, a programmable mechanical calculating machine, in 1936.
Queen Mary begins her maiden voyage
In May 1936, Queen Mary begins her first Atlantic crossing from Southampton.
Number ones and music in 1936
Chart positions belong to the country and chart named in each record.
The Great Ziegfeld brings revue to cinema
The Great Ziegfeld brought stage revue spectacle to cinema in 1936, with lavish musical numbers and a portrait of Broadway impresario Florenz Ziegfeld.
American Film Institute Catalog · American Film Institute Catalog
Buddy Holly Is Born in Lubbock
Charles Hardin Holley, later known as Buddy Holly, was born in Lubbock, Texas, on September 7, 1936.
Texas State Historical Association, Handbook of Texas · Texas Historical Commission
Prices and everyday money in 1936
United Kingdom 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 weekly earnings per person in the United Kingdom (Bank of England series) | £2 0s 2d per week | GBP per week Bank of England (series republished by Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis FRED) |
| sugar (annual average) | 2d | equivalent 1 lb (calculated from ONS per kg) Office for National Statistics |
| flour (annual average) | 4d | equivalent 2 lb (calculated from ONS per 1.5 kg) Office for National Statistics |
| bread (annual average) | 2d | equivalent 1 lb (calculated from ONS 800 g source measure; not historical loaf size) Office for National Statistics |
Planning the birthday
Someone born in 1936 turns 90 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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