Born in 1949
Turns 77 in 2026
Gifts for someone born in 1949
1949 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 1949 · United Kingdom
A little history to go with their gift.
Cambridge’s EDSAC ran its first program, Carol Reed’s The Third Man brought divided Vienna to the screen, and Ted Schroeder and Louise Brough won Wimbledon singles titles. These records link practical computing with cinema and international sport.
What happened in 1949?
EDSAC made stored-program computing practical
The Cambridge EDSAC ran its first program on 6 May 1949, offering scientists a practical stored-program computer.
University of Cambridge Department of Computer Science and Technology
The Third Man turned Vienna into a mystery
Carol Reed’s 1949 film used divided Vienna, moral ambiguity and Anton Karas’s zither score to create a cinema classic.
Ted Schroeder and Louise Brough won Wimbledon
Ted Schroeder won the 1949 men’s singles title while Louise Brough retained the women’s championship at Wimbledon in London that summer.
Wolves claimed the FA Cup at Wembley
Wolverhampton Wanderers beat Leicester City to win the 1949 FA Cup final at Wembley.
Firsts and new ideas
Comet Prototype Makes First Flight
The de Havilland Comet prototype made its first flight on July 27, 1949.
Saab’s first car entered production
Saab began series production of its first car, the aerodynamic 92, in December 1949.
Number ones and music in 1949
Chart positions belong to the country and chart named in each record.
Bruce Springsteen is born at the Jersey Shore
Bruce Springsteen was born in Long Branch, New Jersey, on September 23, 1949.
Billy Joel is born in New York
Billy Joel was born in 1949 and became a major American songwriter and performer.
Prices and everyday money in 1949
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 17s 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) | 7d | equivalent 2 lb (calculated from ONS per 1.5 kg) Office for National Statistics |
| bread (October observation) | 3d | equivalent 1 lb (calculated from ONS 800 g source measure; not historical loaf size) Office for National Statistics |
Planning the birthday
Someone born in 1949 turns 77 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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