Look Back To 1921: What Happened That Year

A miners' lockout, mass unemployment and the first British Legion poppy appeal.

Here's 1921 in full - the music, the news, the screen, the sport and the ordinary details. Good for a birthday card, a party quiz round or a reminiscence session.

Popular music in 1921

• Dance halls were booming and the foxtrot was the dance everyone learned.
• Gramophone records were expensive and treated carefully.
• Music hall was still a major part of an evening out.

In the news in 1921

• The first Poppy Appeal was held in November by the newly formed British Legion.
• The Anglo-Irish Treaty was signed in December.
• Unemployment passed two million during the year.
• The census of 1921 was taken in June.

On screen in 1921

• The Kid, Chaplin's first full-length film, was released.
• Cinema tickets were cheap and audiences huge.
• Newsreels showed events weeks after they happened.

In sport in 1921

• Tottenham Hotspur won the FA Cup.
• Burnley won the league.
• The Football Association banned women's football from member grounds in December, a ban not lifted until 1971.

Everyday life in 1921

• Coal disputes meant shortages and short time in many industries.
• Poppies were sold in the street for the first time and raised a large sum.
• Council estates began to appear on the edges of cities.

If you were born in 1921

• Anyone born in 1921 was eighteen when the Second World War began.
• They were born the year of the first Poppy Appeal.
• Anyone born in 1921 turns 30 in 1951, 40 in 1961, 50 in 1971, 60 in 1981 and 70 in 1991.
• For a milestone card, the strongest line is usually the number one from the week they were born rather than the year's biggest events - it's personal, and it takes two minutes to find.
• For a reminiscence session, read one section at a time and stop on whatever gets a reaction. The point is the conversation, not the facts.

Shop birthday cards

How to write it so it lands

• The number one from the week they were born beats the year's headlines on a card.
• Read one section at a time in a reminiscence session and stop where the conversation starts.
• Use it as a guess-the-year round by reading three facts and hiding the date.

Where to shop next

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• Decade calendar: every year from 1920
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Frequently asked questions

When was the first Poppy Appeal?

November 1921, organised by the newly formed British Legion.

Why was women's football banned in 1921?

The FA barred women's matches from member grounds in December 1921, despite very large crowds. The ban stood until 1971.

How old is someone born in 1921?

Subtract 1921 from the current year. They turn 40 in 1961, 50 in 1971, 60 in 1981 and 70 in 1991.

Do you sell anything to do with this year?

We make greeting cards, art prints and pin badges in the UK, including milestone birthday cards. This page itself is free to read and free to copy.