Born in 1948
Turns 78 in 2026
Gifts for someone born in 1948
1948 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. Science & technology is selected. A new keepsake, not an original newspaper.
BACK TO 1948 · United Kingdom
A little history to go with their gift.
The Manchester Baby ran its first stored program, Columbia introduced the long-playing record, and The Red Shoes reached British audiences. The year changed how computers stored instructions, how listeners played music and how cinema joined colour, dance and drama.
What happened in 1948?
Manchester Baby ran the first stored program
The Manchester Baby ran its first stored program on 21 June 1948, proving that instructions and data could share electronic memory.
The long-playing record extended the album
Columbia introduced the 33⅓ rpm long-playing record in 1948, giving recorded music more space and a new physical format.
The Red Shoes turned ballet into spectacle
Powell and Pressburger’s The Red Shoes reached British audiences in 1948, combining colour, music and psychological drama around a ballerina.
The NHS opened healthcare to everyone
The National Health Service began on 5 July 1948, bringing doctors, hospitals, dentistry and medicines into a national system.
Firsts and new ideas
Holography began as an interference experiment
Dennis Gabor developed holography principles in 1948 while seeking better electron-microscope images at British Thomson-Houston.
Land Rover Debuts In Amsterdam
The first Land Rover debuted at the Amsterdam Motor Show on April 30, 1948.
Number ones and music in 1948
Chart positions belong to the country and chart named in each record.
Nat King Cole releases Nature Boy
Nat King Cole's 1948 release of Nature Boy became one of his greatest successes and an enduring jazz standard.
James Taylor was born in Boston
Born in Boston in 1948, James Taylor would become a leading singer-songwriter, with enduring songs that blend folk, rock, and pop.
Prices and everyday money in 1948
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) | £4 13s 2d per week | GBP per week Bank of England (series republished by Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis FRED) |
| sugar (October average) | 5d | equivalent 1 lb (calculated from ONS per kg) Office for National Statistics |
| flour (October average) | 6d | equivalent 2 lb (calculated from ONS per 1.5 kg) Office for National Statistics |
| bread (October observation) | 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 1948 turns 78 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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