22nd February 1980. The afternoon I was born. And a birth date I tell the kind of George Washington, Drew Barrymore and Chris Moyles. For my actual birthday, it witnessed the so-called ‘Miracle on Ice’ – an ice hockey match played out involving the USA and the mighty Soviet Union at the Winter Olympics in Lake Placid. A vibrant US team won it, contrary to the odds, which will be presumably why they still bang on about this some 31 years later! As much as anything though, it’s the study into your birthday that’s the truly interesting bit.  pool result Flicking through newspapers from back in your day provides you with a genuine feel for the era – whether it’s as a result of what was happening, the adverts as well as the writing style.

My fiancée, meanwhile, also includes a very interesting birthday – on the first September 1983. The Soviets were involved again – this time around utilizing a fighter jet to shoot down Korean Air Flight 007 when the commercial plane entered the bloc’s airspace. All 269 passengers died, including a US Congressman. Morbid? Yes. Sad? Most certainly. But hugely significant and very interesting nonetheless. And that’s the great thing about a birthday newspaper – it’s a screen into the past. You obtain a taste of what the planet was reporting on your day you were born, and it’s got ‘dinner-party anecdote’ written throughout it.

If you want the notion of newspaper gifts, you can find numerous options to select from. Kicking things off are newspaper books, which are made to order and include your chosen date. A Year Edition newspaper book features a full reproduction of a newspaper from your day you’ve selected, while the Anniversary Edition lets you choose three newspapers – typically a marriage date and the birthdays of the happy couple. And last although not least, there’s a This Is Your Life Edition which include ten important dates from the recipient’s life. All come bound in to a tabloid-sized book.

Next up you’ve got a nice, straightforward original newspaper. Whilst the name suggests, these aren’t copies or reproductions. They’re genuine, down seriously to that old-newspaper smell. Simply pick your date and then choose the method that you want it presented, be it a basic gift box or something a little swishier, just like a satin-lined box. And last but by no means least you can get a birthday newspaper front page. Whether or not you purchase it framed is neither here nor there – both are very affordable options and make for fantastic birthday newspaper gifts.