Look Back To 2023: What Happened That Year

The coronation, Barbenheimer and 'Last Christmas' finally getting to number one.

Here's 2023 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.

In the charts in 2023

• 'Flowers' by Miley Cyrus was the year's best-selling single.
• Wham!'s 'Last Christmas' was the Christmas number one, thirty-nine years after it was first released.
• The Eras Tour and Beyonce's Renaissance Tour made it the summer of the stadium concert.

In the news in 2023

• King Charles III was crowned at Westminster Abbey on 6 May.
• Inflation and mortgage rates dominated the first half of the year.
• Storms Babet and Ciaran brought serious flooding in the autumn.

On screen in 2023

• Barbie and Oppenheimer opened on the same weekend in July and filled cinemas.
• Succession and Happy Valley both ended.
• The Traitors became the BBC's biggest new format in years.

In sport in 2023

• England's women reached the World Cup final in Australia and lost to Spain.
• Manchester City won the treble.
• The Ashes at home were drawn 2-2 after England came back from 2-0 down.

Everyday life in 2023

• Artificial intelligence went from a curiosity to something in every workplace conversation.
• Cost-of-living payments and food bank use stayed in the news all year.
• Contactless and mobile payments were now the default almost everywhere.

If you were born in 2023

• Anyone born in 2023 was born in the coronation year.
• They will always be the same age as the year 'Last Christmas' finally got to number one.
• Anyone born in 2023 turns 30 in 2053, 40 in 2063, 50 in 2073, 60 in 2083 and 70 in 2093.
• 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

• Look back to 2025
• Look back to 2024
• Look back to 2022
• Look back to 2021
• Look back to 2020
• The 2020s so far: the whole decade
• 2020s party playlist
• Viral and TikTok party games
• Phone party games
• How to run a quiz night
• Guess the year quiz
• 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 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
• 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

When was the coronation of King Charles III?

6 May 2023, at Westminster Abbey, with an extra bank holiday on the Monday.

What was the Christmas number one in 2023?

'Last Christmas' by Wham! - its first time at number one, thirty-nine years after release.

How old is someone born in 2023?

Subtract 2023 from the current year. They turn 40 in 2063, 50 in 2073, 60 in 2083 and 70 in 2093.

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.