Born in 1946
Turns 80 in 2026 · 80th birthday gifts
80th birthday gifts for someone born in 1946
1946 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 1946 · United Kingdom
A little history to go with their gift.
The University of Pennsylvania revealed ENIAC, Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life reached cinemas, and The Best Years of Our Lives examined veterans’ return. The records capture new computing and two films focused on family, work and life after war.
What happened in 1946?
ENIAC made electronic computing public
The University of Pennsylvania revealed ENIAC on 14 February 1946, presenting a room-sized electronic calculator built from thousands of vacuum tubes.
It’s a Wonderful Life made an ordinary life heroic
Frank Capra’s December release follows George Bailey from despair toward a renewed understanding of family, neighbours, work and civic responsibility.
The Best Years of Our Lives faced veterans’ return
William Wyler’s film placed returning servicemen, including a double-amputee veteran, at the centre of a searching American drama about readjustment.
Derby County settled the final after extra time
Derby County beat Charlton Athletic 4-1 after extra time to win the 1946 FA Cup final at Wembley.
Firsts and new ideas
The Moore School taught electronic computer design
The July–August 1946 Moore School course gathered engineers around ENIAC, EDVAC and stored-program design at the dawn of computer science.
Mervyn Peake publishes Titus Groan
Mervyn Peake’s Titus Groan, the first novel in the Gormenghast sequence, was published in London in 1946.
Mervyn Peake Estate official website · Open British National Bibliography
Number ones and music in 1946
Chart positions belong to the country and chart named in each record.
A Zanzibar birth before the Queen legend
Farrokh Bulsara, later known as Freddie Mercury, was born on Zanzibar in 1946.
David Gilmour gave Pink Floyd its guitar glow
David Gilmour was born in Cambridge in 1946 and later became Pink Floyd’s guitarist, singer and a defining voice in progressive rock.
Prices and everyday money in 1946
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) | £3 19s 5d per week | GBP per week Bank of England (series republished by Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis FRED) |
| sugar (annual average) | 4d | equivalent 1 lb (calculated from ONS per kg) Office for National Statistics |
| flour (annual average) | 5d | equivalent 2 lb (calculated from ONS per 1.5 kg) Office for National Statistics |
| bread (annual average) | 2½d | equivalent 1 lb (calculated from ONS 800 g source measure; not historical loaf size) Office for National Statistics |
Planning the birthday
Someone born in 1946 turns 80 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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