Born in 2004
Turns 22 in 2026
Gifts for someone born in 2004
2004 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 2004 · United Kingdom
A little history to go with their gift.
Facebook began as a Harvard campus network, and NASA’s Spirit rover landed in Gusev Crater on Mars. Spirit studied Martian rocks and the planet’s history of water. British comedy Shaun of the Dead paired zombie horror with pub-life humour.
What happened in 2004?
Facebook begins in a Harvard dorm
Mark Zuckerberg and fellow Harvard students launched Facebook on 4 February 2004, beginning with a campus network that would expand beyond universities.
The Harvard Crimson, by Alan J. Tabak · TIME, by Harry McCracken
Spirit lands in Gusev Crater
NASA’s Spirit rover landed in Gusev Crater on 4 January 2004, beginning a highly productive mission to study rocks and the history of water on Mars.
Greece shocks Portugal to win EURO 2004
Greece beat hosts Portugal 1–0 to win its first European Championship. Angelos Charisteas scored the winner in Lisbon.
A carbon sheet changes materials science
On October 22, 2004, Manchester researchers published measurements on atom-thin carbon films. The paper helped establish graphene as a major materials-science subject.
PubMed / U.S. National Library of Medicine · American Physical Society
Firsts and new ideas
Google launches Gmail with a gigabyte
Google introduced Gmail on 1 April 2004, offering one gigabyte of storage and powerful search at a time when most email accounts were far smaller.
Google News Announcements · Los Angeles Times, by Chris Gaither
SpaceShipOne reaches the edge of space
SpaceShipOne completed the first privately funded crewed spaceflight on 21 June 2004, opening a new chapter in commercial spaceflight.
Number ones and music in 2004
Chart positions belong to the country and chart named in each record.
Usher turns Yeah! into the year’s command
Usher released Yeah! in 2004; it reached UK charts in March and topped Billboard’s Mainstream Top 40 in April.
Beyoncé wins five Grammys as solo artist
Beyoncé took five Grammy Awards for her solo work, including honours for Crazy in Love and Dangerously in Love.
Prices and everyday money in 2004
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) | £371.20 per week | GBP per week Bank of England (series republished by Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis FRED) |
| sugar (annual average) | 74p | perkg source-table measure Office for National Statistics |
| flour (annual average) | 68p | per1.5kg source-table measure Office for National Statistics |
| bread (annual average) | 65p | 800g source-table loaf Office for National Statistics |
Planning the birthday
Someone born in 2004 turns 22 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.
See milestone birthdays this year