Fun Birthday Facts

Birthdays...we all celebrate them, whether with excitement or dread. But how much do you really know about the occasion and birthday cards?

What Month Were You Born?

More people celebrate their birthdays in July, August, and September than during any other months of the year. August leads with 9% of all recorded births. In the United States, the most common birth date is October 5th and the least common is May 22nd.

A Pricey Piece of Paper

Rumor has it that former Beatles member Paul McCartney's birth certificate is the most expensive on record, no pun intended. It was purchased at auction in March 1997 for $84,146 US dollars. Maybe it will show up on PBS's "Antiques Roadshow" some day.

That's A Lot of Cake!

In 1989, the world's largest birthday cake was baked for the city of Fort Payne, Alabama's centennial celebration. It weighed 128,238 pounds, with 16,209 pounds of icing. Scales in Fort Payne must have been groaning the morning after that party!

Sending Greeting Cards

Over 1 billion birthday cards are sent every year in the United States - that's about 60% of the everyday greeting card industry! On average, each person receives 7 birthday cards.

Party On!

How much did you spend on your last milestone birthday party? Did you hire a DJ? The Sultan of Brunei paid $27.2 million US dollars to entertain his guests when he celebrated his 50th birthday, July 13, 1996. More than half of that amount, $16 million, was paid to Michael Jackson for three concerts.

"Happy Birthday To You..."

Two sisters from Louisville, KY, Mildred and Patti Hill, are credited with writing in 1893 what would become the most popular song of all time. In 1969, astronauts on board Apollo IX sang "Happy Birthday," making it the first song performed in outer space. Be careful where you belt out this song though - it's under copyright, and public performance of the song without permission is technically illegal!

Breathe In, Breathe Out

If you take an average of 30 breaths each minute, you will have taken 15,768,000 breaths from one birthday to the next. Please don't forget to save at least one big breath to blow out all the candles on your next cake.