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Prince Joachim of Denmark

b. 1969

Born
7 Jun 1969, Rigshospitalet
Country of birth
Denmark

Living person. The family sees only the name, dates and photo; everything else stays private unless they choose to share it.

facts
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sources
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images and files
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Facts and their sources

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A life in time

  1. Born · Rigshospitalet

    Birth, Rigshospitalet

What was it like?

The world around Rigshospitalet, 1969: who ruled, who else was alive, how people lived. This is general history, not a record about the family, and every item shows where it comes from.

During the 1950s, teenage girls wearing tight-fitting, often checkered pants called slacks sparked outrage among the older generation. Jeans later became a unisex staple after their breakthrough in the 1960s.

Fashion

The rise of women in pants

During the 1950s, teenage girls wearing tight-fitting, often checkered pants called slacks sparked outrage among the older generation. Jeans later became a unisex staple after their breakthrough in the 1960s.

Around 1950–1964

Footless stockings worn by fishwives

Fishwives in Skovshoved wore footless stockings to avoid wearing out expensive footwear, carrying their shoes separately.

Music

Instruments and music at family parties

At local Christmas tree parties and family gatherings, orchestras typically used instruments like the violin, accordion, piano, trombone, and trumpet to play traditional dances. Musicians sometimes had to use special adhesives to keep artificial teeth in place while playing brass instruments like the trumpet.

Around 1950–1959

Youth culture and rock music emergence

In the 1950s, young people embraced American rock music, the jitterbug dance, and new fashions like blue jeans and leather jackets, causing tension with older generations. Concerts, such as one in 1956 featuring Ib Jensen, were sometimes stopped by police due to fears of youth unrest.

Getting around
Around 1950–1959

Bicycles and Horse-Drawn Travel in the 1950s

In the 1950s, many people still traveled locally by bicycle and horse-drawn vehicles like wagons. Private cars were rare, with most being pre-war models.

Daily life

Improving living standards in Danish homes

In the early 1950s, many families lived in small homes without a private lavatory, warm running water, or a bathroom. By 1970, housing standards had improved significantly, with 88% of homes having their own lavatory and 71% having a bathroom.

Modernization of cooking and kitchen appliances

Cooking transitioned from old coal or coke-fired stoves to modern appliances like electric stoves, which became standard symbols of prosperity. By the late 1950s, new houses were no longer built with traditional stoves, and items like refrigerators became increasingly common.

Food

Daily shopping with a payment book

Before widespread refrigeration and supermarkets, many families shopped daily for basic groceries using a small notebook to record purchases, which were paid for later at local specialty shops.

Around 1950–1959

Daily milk trips for fresh cream

Because most homes lacked refrigerators, families bought fresh milk daily and often purchased whipped cream ready-made in small enamel pails from the local dairy.

Prices and wages

Rising Food Prices 1950–1970

In 1950, a loaf of rye bread cost 1.17 kr. and a loaf of white bread cost 1.23 kr. By 1970, prices had risen to 2.50 kr. for rye bread and 1.04 kr. for a loaf of white bread, while butter increased from 6.70 kr. per pound in 1950 to 11.51 kr. in 1970.

Work

Demanding workdays and shorter hours

A typical working day was demanding, and many women managed both outside employment and heavy housework, often leading to a total weekly workload of 70 to 80 hours. By the early 1970s, union efforts successfully secured a 40-hour workweek and four weeks of annual holiday.

Shift from agriculture to industry

During this period, many Danes left rural farming jobs for industrial work in growing cities. By 1950, only about 24% of the population was employed in agriculture, while manufacturing and service sectors expanded significantly.

News and letters

Coffee with the mail carrier

It was common for rural residents to offer their local mail carrier coffee at the kitchen table during his daily rounds.

Frequent daily mail delivery services

Until 1968, mail was delivered up to three times daily in Denmark, and two daily deliveries continued until 1979.

During their lifetime

  1. 1973

    Car-free Sundays during oil crisis 1973

    Denmark introduced car-free Sundays from November 1973 to February 1974 due to the global oil crisis.

Family

Parents

Ancestors and children

Open the full tree

Four generations back to the right, the children to the left. The number beside a child counts the generations of descendants known after them.