40th birthday gift idea
Happy 40th! The front page from the day they were born.
Turning 40 in 2026? Give them a personalised vintage broadsheet from 1986: “Happy 40th, [Name]!” in the headline, what happened that day, who shares their birthday, and what things cost then versus now.
The world in 1986
- Jan 11The Gateway Bridge in Brisbane, Australia, opened as the largest prestressed-concrete, single-box bridge in the world.
- Feb 3Steve Jobs purchased Pixar from Lucasfilm and launched it as an independent computer-animation studio.
- Mar 3The American heavy metal band Metallica released their third studio album, Master of Puppets, considered one of the greatest in the genre's history.
- Apr 25Mswati III was crowned King of Swaziland, succeeding his father Sobhuza II.
- May 7Canadian Patrick Morrow becomes the first person to climb each of the Seven Summits.
- Jun 22The famous Hand of God goal, scored by Diego Maradona in the quarter-finals of the 1986 FIFA World Cup match between Argentina and England, ignites controversy. This was later followed by the Goal of the Century. Argentina wins 2–1 and later goes on to win the World Cup.
Adapted from English Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Forty years of prices
| Typical US price | 1986 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Gallon of gasoline | 93¢ | $3.26 |
| Loaf of white bread (1 lb) | 56¢ | $1.87 |
| Dozen eggs | 87¢ | $4.25 |
| Pound of ground beef | $1.23 | $6.09 |
| Pound of coffee | $3.43 | $8.18 |
US Bureau of Labor Statistics average prices and CPI (public domain). ≈ = estimated from the CPI.
One dollar in 1986 bought what about $2.94 buys today.
Questions, answered
What is a good 40th birthday gift?
Something personal that they will keep. A front page from the day they were born, with their name in the headline and the events, famous birthdays and prices of 1986, is a gift that gets framed rather than forgotten.
What year were people turning 40 in 2026 born?
People celebrating their 40th birthday in 2026 were born in 1986 (or late 1985 if their birthday has not come round yet when you read this).
How fast can I get it?
Instantly. You see a free preview straight away; after checkout you download the PDF and PNG files and can print them the same day.
What size is the 40th birthday front page?
You get an A3 PDF, an 11×17 inch PDF and a high-resolution PNG, so it prints well at home, at a copy shop or as a framed poster.
Where do the facts come from?
Historical events, observances and famous birthdays come from Wikipedia and Wikidata. Prices are typical US prices from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. We filter out wars, disasters and other upsetting events, because this is a gift.
Does it include the number one song?
Not yet. We only use data we are licensed to use, and we have not found a properly licensed public chart dataset, so we leave songs out rather than copy someone else’s charts.
Other milestones: 30th birthday gift · 50th birthday gift · 60th birthday gift · 70th birthday gift · 80th birthday gift