Decade Timeline: Key Dates, Events And Milestones Since The 1920s
Every decade in order, year by year, with the dates and events that defined it.
Pick an era below for its timeline, or jump straight to a single year.
Every date comes from our year pages, so the timelines and the year pages always match.
Shop the cards that go with these
Shop prints and posters Pin badges 1920s timeline: key dates and events 1930s timeline: key dates and events
Cards, prints and badges, made by us
Funny and warm greeting cards, art prints and pin badges, printed in the UK. Order on a working day and it usually goes out the same day.
You Old Bastard (Funny Birthday Card)
£3.87
Cheeky Wordsearch Valentines Day Card For Him
£3.87
Fifty & Even More Fabulous Than Ever (50th Birthday Card)
£3.87
Cheeky Wordsearch Valentines Day Card For Her
£3.87
I Wish You Looked At Me Like Any Can of Strongbow Dark Fruits Ever (Valentines Day Card)
£3.87
Happy Valentines Day, Bab (Valentines Day Card)
£3.87
Pick a decade timeline
- 1920s - 1920 to 1929, year by year. Timeline: /blogs/news/1920s-timeline
- 1930s - 1930 to 1939, year by year. Timeline: /blogs/news/1930s-timeline
- 1940s - 1940 to 1949, year by year. Timeline: /blogs/news/1940s-timeline
- 1950s - 1950 to 1959, year by year. Timeline: /blogs/news/1950s-timeline
- 1960s - 1960 to 1969, year by year. Timeline: /blogs/news/1960s-timeline
- 1970s - 1970 to 1979, year by year. Timeline: /blogs/news/1970s-timeline
- 1980s - 1980 to 1989, year by year. Timeline: /blogs/news/1980s-timeline
- 1990s - 1990 to 1999, year by year. Timeline: /blogs/news/1990s-timeline
- 2000s - 2000 to 2009, year by year. Timeline: /blogs/news/2000s-timeline
- 2010s - 2010 to 2019, year by year. Timeline: /blogs/news/2010s-timeline
- 2020s - 2020 to 2025, year by year. Timeline: /blogs/news/2020s-timeline
The century in five lines
- 1920s-1930s: recovery after one war, depression, the wireless, and the slide into another.
- 1940s-1950s: total war, then the NHS, the Coronation and the end of rationing in 1954.
- 1960s-1970s: the pill, the moon landing and social reform, then strikes, inflation and punk.
- 1980s-1990s: Right to Buy and the miners' strike, then Britpop, devolution and the web.
- 2000s-2020s: Iraq, the 2008 crash, Brexit, Covid and AI.
Found your words? Now find the card
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How to write it so it lands
- For a milestone birthday, read the timeline from someone's birth year to the year they turned 21.
- Pair a decade timeline with that era's music and film guides for a themed party.
- The everyday details start more conversations than the politics. Read those lines out first.
Where to shop next
- 1920s timeline: key dates and events
- 1930s timeline: key dates and events
- 1940s timeline: key dates and events
- 1950s timeline: key dates and events
- 1960s timeline: key dates and events
- 1970s timeline: key dates and events
- 1980s timeline: key dates and events
- 1990s timeline: key dates and events
- 2000s timeline: key dates and events
- 2010s timeline: key dates and events
- 2020s timeline: key dates and events
- The 2020s so far
- The 2010s: the whole decade
- The 2000s: the whole decade
- The 1990s: the whole decade
- The 1980s: the whole decade
- The 1970s: the whole decade
- The 1960s: the whole decade
- The 1950s: the whole decade
- The 1940s: the whole decade
- The 1930s: the whole decade
- The 1920s: the whole decade
- Decade history: events, politics and social change by era
- Decade calendar: every year from 1920
- Decade trivia: fun facts by era
- Decade quiz: test your memory
- Decade trivia game: play for points
- Nostalgia gift shop
- Milestone birthday cards
- All decade guides in one place
- Card messages by occasion: every guide in one place
- Card hub: cards, badges and messages by occasion
- Decade timelines: key dates and events by era
- Decade music: songs, genres and trends
- Decade films: best movies and directors
- Decade books: novels, authors and reading trends
- Decade art: artists, styles and trends
- Decade fashion: styles, designers and trends
- Decade food: dishes, restaurants and eating trends
- Decade travel: destinations and holidays
- Decade technology: gadgets and computers
- Decade shopping guides
- Decade games: board, card and video games by era
- Decade quizzes: questions and answers by era
- Shop art prints and posters
- Shop greetings cards
- Shop birthday cards
- Shop funny cards
- Retro party supplies
- Planning the party? Birthday party ideas
- How to make a balloon arch
- Photo booth prop ideas
- All guides
Frequently asked questions
What years are covered?
Every decade from the 1920s to the present, each broken down year by year with its key dates and events.
What is the difference between the timeline and the decade calendar?
The timeline puts the events of a decade in order so you can read straight through it. The calendar is the same years laid out as a reference list. Both use the same checked dates.
Are the dates checked?
Yes. Every date, name and event is real and taken from our year-by-year pages. Nothing is invented.
Can I use these for a quiz or a reminiscence session?
Yes, freely. Print them, read them out, copy them - no permission needed.