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Marie José of Belgium

Ostend, 4 Aug 1906 – Thônex, 27 Jan 2001

9 facts3 sources

Facts and their sources

A life in time

  1. 4 Aug 1906

    Born in Ostend

  2. 1934–1943

    4 children are born

  3. 1946

    Consort of Italy

  4. 27 Jan 2001

    Dies in Thônex, aged 94

Family

See the tree

Parents

Partner

Children · 4

During her lifetime

She lived through 11 decades. Pick one to hear and see what it was like around Ostend.

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

The 1900s · Marie is born in Ostend

In the news1900

First old-age pension law passed

In 1900, the first law on old-age pensions was approved in Belgium.

Getting around

Fast Train Travel to Antwerp

In 1900, a record-breaking train journey between Brussels and Antwerp could be completed in just 47 minutes.

At the table

Rising sugar consumption

Between 1900 and 1905, the annual average sugar consumption per capita in Belgium doubled from 5 to 10 kilograms as prices dropped.

The Model T. Ford’s assembly line made a car ordinary families could buy: fifteen million were built.Around the world · 1908–1927

The Model T. Ford’s assembly line made a car ordinary families could buy: fifteen million were built.

ModelTMitch · public domain

What people wore

Formal Men's Dress and Posture

For men of social standing, a top hat was essential for daily work, and linen shirts required crisp white stiffening, including a high collar that enforced an upright posture.

Music

Rise of the Schwyzerörgeli Accordion

Around 1900, the Schwyzerörgeli (a diatonic button accordion) became increasingly popular, often replacing the violin in bands and becoming a way for soldiers to pass time during WWI.

Daily life

Home life without electricity

Houses were dark, relied on coal stoves for warmth and cooking, and lacked electricity until around 1904-1912. People often used portable lamps or gas burners for light, and coal was delivered through cellar vents.