Every birthday is an important one, but milestone birthdays are well worth celebrating. Turning 30, breaking 40 and pushing 50 are outstanding events in life when friends and family seize the occasion to give a truly unique present. And since you really want to make this one gift a special one, the big question is how to best treat the birthday child’s big day with a good twinkle in your eye.
There’s a trusty companion that you can wear through thick and thin: the T-shirt. You can wash a good T-shirt well over 100 times and wear it to perfection. Some of those precious old pieces of garment are still cherished by those celebrating their milestone birthdays today. Here you can find out what rocked the world of the big birthday boys and girls, and get fresh inspiration for great birthday gifts.
Swinging Sixties
In 1955, the beautiful virtual world of the Internet was of course not yet around, and those born in this year spent their childhood days in the 1960s, playing with toys that were mostly made of wood and metal. What’s more, people miraculously managed to lead a life without any WiFi whatsoever.
People turning 60 today will have spent their formative years of adolescence in the 1970s, and at college they probably wore T-shirts making strong statements against the Vietnam War, all for flower power and against the ruling elite. Men born in 1955 were shaking their long hair in tune with Led Zeppelin guitar solos, and women enjoyed a good Saturday night fever, shaking their booties to ABBA and the Bee Gees.
Famous folks born in 1955:
- Bill Gates
- Nicolas Sarkozy
- Bruce Willis
More than 50 Shades
Just look at some of those turning 50 this year: Brooke Shields, Sarah Jessica Parker or Robert Downey Jr. – they were all born in 1965. Folks from this generation were settling down to family life at a time when the iron curtain around them broke down. They were different times: people taped their favorite tunes on cassettes that their lovers could listen to on their walkmen. Shoulder pads were confidently worn under stone and acid-washed denim jackets, and rakish T-shirts were casually tucked into neon colored chinos. Ask anyone growing up in the 1980s about illustrious contemporaries such as Boy George or Cindy Lauper to embrace the spirit.
Famous folks born in 1965:
- Sarah Jessica Parker
- Ben Stiller
- Robert Downey Jr.
40 Years, All Mature
It’s the generation that grew up watching Sesame Street and the original Muppet Show. When teenage hormones took over and the Game Boy was ultimately given a terminal rest, the 1990s started with a musical Nirvana bang, coinciding with the rebirth of the cinema that saw lots of cult classics emerging – from Forrest Gump to Pulp Fiction and Titanic to Fight Club. The first boy bands captured the hearts of many a teenage girl, dressed up nicely in a jovial sunflower T-shirt behind the wheel of a Smart car. Then techno took the clubs by storm, and alco pops were consumed along with other ecstatic chemicals that turned the world into a more flowery place.
Famous folks born in 1975:
- David Beckham
- Angelina Jolie
- Kate Winslet
Time to grow up? 30 Hertz to Freedom
Those were the days: kids looking after their Tamagotchi children at the tender age of 10, and the first email accounts with AOL and AltaVista mail were used to send coy digital love letters at a time when folks would still listen to the radio, and the likes of Destiny’s Child and Britney Spears would be on the air like a nasty zinging cough. Older kids could be seen playing Snake on brick-sized Nokia mobile phones, and texting invented a whole new approach to language. C u l8r m8 xxx. OMG, there’s definitely still time for a bit of Swag on a tee to add to the fun – YOLO!
Famous folks born in 1985:
- Christiano Ronaldo
- Michael Phelps
- Keira Knightley
Tell us about your favorite memories that you connect with the generation born in your year. What should go on your birth year T-shirt – we’re dying to hear your story! Just leave a comment below.
