Look Back To 1925: What Happened That Year

The Charleston, the return to the gold standard and a summer of dance halls.

Here's 1925 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 1925

• The Charleston arrived from America and became the dance craze of the year.
• Electrical recording was introduced and records suddenly sounded much better.
• Dance bands were broadcast live from London hotels most evenings.

In the news in 1925

• Britain returned to the gold standard in April, which made exports dearer and hit the coal industry.
• A coal subsidy in July put off a strike for nine months.
• John Logie Baird transmitted the first moving television images in October.

On screen in 1925

• The Gold Rush and Battleship Potemkin were released.
• Picture palaces with organs and orchestras were the height of a night out.
• Television existed only as Baird's experiments.

In sport in 1925

• Sheffield United won the FA Cup.
• Huddersfield Town won the league again.
• The offside law was changed, and goalscoring rose sharply.

Everyday life in 1925

• Flapper dresses, bobbed hair and shorter hemlines were everywhere in the cities.
• Wireless licences passed one and a half million.
• Cinema, dance hall and football were the three cheap pleasures.

If you were born in 1925

• Anyone born in 1925 was fourteen when the Second World War began.
• They were born the year the Charleston reached Britain.
• Anyone born in 1925 turns 30 in 1955, 40 in 1965, 50 in 1975, 60 in 1985 and 70 in 1995.
• 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.

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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

• Look back to 1928
• Look back to 1927
• Look back to 1926
• Look back to 1924
• Look back to 1923
• Look back to 1922
• The 1920s: the whole decade
• Victorian and vintage parlour games
• Village fete and church hall games
• Card games your nan taught you
• Traditional British party games
• 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
• Decade calendar: every year from 1920
• Decade trivia: fun facts by era
• Decade trivia game: play for points
• Decade guides: books, films and TV by era
• Decade recipes: dishes and food trends by era
• Decade travel: destinations and holidays by era
• Decade tech: gadgets and computers by era
• Decade films: best movies and directors by era
• Decade art: artists, styles and trends by era
• Decade books: best novels, authors and reading trends
• Music by decade: albums, artists and songs
• Decade fashion: clothes, hair and accessories by era
• Nostalgia gift shop
• Retro party supplies
• Nostalgia birthday party by decade
• Nostalgia hamper and gift ideas
• Guess the year quiz
• Care home reminiscence quiz
• Reminiscence gifts for grandparents
• Milestone birthday cards
• Shop birthday cards
• Planning the party? Birthday party ideas
• How to make a balloon arch
• Photo booth prop ideas
• Pin badges
• All guides

Frequently asked questions

What was the Charleston?

A fast dance that arrived from America in 1925 and became the defining craze of the decade's dance halls.

When did Baird first transmit television pictures?

October 1925, when John Logie Baird transmitted a recognisable moving image in his London workshop.

How old is someone born in 1925?

Subtract 1925 from the current year. They turn 40 in 1965, 50 in 1975, 60 in 1985 and 70 in 1995.

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.