Look Back To 1929: What Happened That Year

Britain's first talkie, a second Labour government and the Wall Street Crash.

Here's 1929 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 1929

• Talking pictures put orchestras and cinema organists out of work within a couple of years.
• Dance bands were broadcast nightly and toured constantly.
• Records were becoming a normal purchase rather than a luxury.

In the news in 1929

• The Wall Street Crash in late October began the Great Depression.
• Ramsay MacDonald formed a second Labour government after the May election, the first in which all women could vote.
• Margaret Bondfield became the first woman cabinet minister.

On screen in 1929

• Blackmail, directed by Alfred Hitchcock, became Britain's first full talking picture.
• Cinemas across the country were wired for sound during the year.
• Baird's television experiments were broadcast by the BBC after hours.

In sport in 1929

• Bolton Wanderers won the FA Cup.
• Sheffield Wednesday won the league.
• The Ashes were retained by England in Australia over the winter of 1928-29.

Everyday life in 1929

• Unemployment began rising again as the Depression took hold.
• The wireless was now in a majority of urban homes.
• The decade's optimism ended sharply in October.

If you were born in 1929

• Anyone born in 1929 was ten when the Second World War began.
• They are the last of the twenties and were born the year of the Wall Street Crash.
• Anyone born in 1929 turns 30 in 1959, 40 in 1969, 50 in 1979, 60 in 1989 and 70 in 1999.
• 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

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Frequently asked questions

What was Britain's first talking picture?

Blackmail, directed by Alfred Hitchcock and released in 1929, was the first British feature-length talkie.

When was the Wall Street Crash?

Late October 1929, with the heaviest falls on 24 and 29 October, beginning the Great Depression.

How old is someone born in 1929?

Subtract 1929 from the current year. They turn 40 in 1969, 50 in 1979, 60 in 1989 and 70 in 1999.

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.