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Prince Michel, 14th Prince of Ligne

Born Château de Belœil, 26 May 1951

6 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. 26 May 1951

    Born in Château de Belœil

Family

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Parents

Partner

During his lifetime

He has lived through 8 decades. Pick one to hear and see what it was like around Château de Belœil.

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

The 1950s · Prince is born in Château de Belœil

In the news1956

First nuclear chain reaction achieved in Belgium

Belgium successfully achieved its first controlled nuclear chain reaction at the BR 1 research reactor in Mol.

What people wore

Belgian boys' clothing in the 1950s-1960s

In the 1950s and early 1960s, Belgian boys frequently wore short pants until they were 12 or 13 years old, sometimes even until age 16 for school uniforms. By the 1960s, American-style casual wear like T-shirts began to gain popularity among the youth.

Daily life

Heating, water, and cooking in the 1950s

In the 1950s, many homes relied on a coal stove (Leuvense stoof) in the kitchen for heating and cooking, as other rooms were often unheated. Running water was not common in more than half of all Belgian households until late in the decade.

In the news1958

Brussels hosts World Fair Expo 58

The World Fair in Brussels, Expo 58, modernized the country and introduced citizens to a new era of global possibilities.

Music

Traditional Social Dances and Community Events

Common social dances in Belgium during this period included the polka, wals (waltz), schottische, and the linear branle. These dances were staples at local village celebrations and community events.

In Europe1948–1952

The Marshall Plan

American aid of some $13 billion rebuilt the ruined economies of Western Europe.

Getting around

Transition from trams to buses in Brussels

During the 1950s, public transport in Brussels and other regions relied heavily on trams, but many lines were rapidly replaced by bus services, causing service frequencies to drop; for instance, waiting times increased from six or seven minutes to about twelve minutes.