Galaxy Origins
A birthday from the 1950s
Anyone turning seventy in 2027 was born in 1957. Often the family knows the town, sometimes the house, and rarely the hour; a good guess is fine. We find the catalogued galaxy that was directly above that place and time and frame its telescope photograph with the place, the date and your words.
The light in the photograph left that galaxy millions of years before the birthday. It is a gentle way to put seventy years into perspective.
The other day to choose
Many families choose the wedding day instead, especially when both parents are still together, and write a line from all the children. Some choose the day the eldest grandchild arrived. See also golden and diamond anniversaries.
- Dad · born in Hull · March 1957 · seventy and still the funniest
- From your four children and nine grandchildren.
A seventieth with the whole family
Seventieth birthdays are often a lunch for three generations. A single present from all the children and grandchildren works best; the line can say 'from all of us' and leave space for one name.
If the birth time is not known, the 1950s was a time of home births with a midwife; an older relative may remember the hour.
