Born in 1968
Turns 58 in 2026
Gifts for someone born in 1968
1968 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 1968 · United Kingdom
A little history to go with their gift.
Apollo 8 carried people into lunar orbit for the first time, and its crew photographed Earth above the Moon. Mexico City hosted the first Olympics in Latin America, where high-altitude performances and political protest reached a global television audience; Kubrick’s 2001 brought philosophical science fiction to cinemas.
What happened in 1968?
Apollo 8 reaches lunar orbit
Apollo 8 entered lunar orbit on 24 December 1968, giving its crew and television viewers a new view of Earth.
Mexico City stages a charged Games
The Mexico City Olympics ran from 12 to 27 October 1968, combining remarkable athletic performances with visible political protest before a global television audience.
2001 makes the future mysterious
Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey reached British cinemas in 1968, pairing exacting effects with an enigmatic view of human evolution.
Paris erupts in protest
Students occupied the Sorbonne from 3 May 1968, while artists produced thousands of posters that carried protest messages through French cities.
Firsts and new ideas
Manchester United conquer Europe
Manchester United defeated Benfica 4–1 after extra time on 29 May 1968, becoming the first English club to win the European Cup.
Apollo returns safely to orbit
Apollo 7 launched on 11 October 1968, testing the crewed command and service modules after NASA rebuilt its safety procedures.
Number ones and music in 1968
Chart positions belong to the country and chart named in each record.
Hey Jude becomes a communal chorus
Hey Jude entered the Official Singles Chart on 10 September 1968 and reached number one during a sixteen-week UK run.
The Beatles release their White Album
The Beatles released their self-titled double album in Britain on November 22, 1968; listeners soon knew its plain white cover as the White Album.
Prices and everyday money in 1968
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) | £15 4s per week | GBP per week Bank of England (series republished by Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis FRED) |
| sugar (annual average) | 8d | equivalent 1 lb (calculated from ONS per kg) Office for National Statistics |
| flour (annual average) | 1s 3d | equivalent 2 lb (calculated from ONS per 1.5 kg) Office for National Statistics |
| bread (annual average) | 11d | equivalent 1 lb (calculated from ONS 800 g source measure; not historical loaf size) Office for National Statistics |
Planning the birthday
Someone born in 1968 turns 58 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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