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Juan Carlos I of Spain

Born Rome, 5 Jan 1938

5 facts1 source

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

Facts and their sources

A life in time

  1. 5 Jan 1938

    Born in Rome

  2. 1963–1968

    3 children are born

During his lifetime

He has lived through 10 decades. Pick one to hear and see what it was like around Rome.

General history, not a record about the family: each item says where it comes from.

The 1930s · Juan is born in Rome

Who governed

What people wore

Homemade Clothing and Tailoring Prevailed

Most Italians wore clothing made by home seamstresses or tailors because ready-to-wear garments were not yet common. Women often sewed, remade, or dyed garments at home as a productive leisure activity.

Getting around

Fiat 500 Topolino introduction in 1936

The Fiat 500, introduced in 1936 and known as the Topolino, cost 1,300 lire and became the car for the majority of Italians.

At the table

Meatless days as patriotic duty

To promote autarky, the regime mandated meatless Wednesdays and closed butcher shops on Tuesdays, framing these restrictions as a patriotic duty for consumers.

The Second World War. The deadliest war in history, from 1939 to 1945: some 70 million people died. Brazil sent 25,000 soldiers to fight in Italy.Around the world · 1939–1945

The Second World War. The deadliest war in history, from 1939 to 1945: some 70 million people died. Brazil sent 25,000 soldiers to fight in Italy.

Chief Photographer's Mate (CPHoM) Robert F. Sargent · public domain

In the news1927–1935

Economic crisis, 1927-1935

Following the Great Depression, the poorer classes in Italy suffered a fall in nominal wages of up to 70 percent between 1927 and 1935.

Music

State-sponsored folk music festivals

The Opera Nazionale Dopolavoro (OND) organized massive folk music and dance surveys and festivals across Italian provinces.

Daily life

School uniforms and classroom equipment

Schoolchildren wore mandatory smocks—black for boys with blue bows and white for girls with pink bows—and used narrow wooden desks featuring glass inkwells. Students without satchels often bundled their books and notebooks using simple string or straps.