Anniversaries

Anniversaries, in the words of Mike Wagstaffe (webmaster of Stockport Quiz League) "can be a bit of a minefield."

That might just be the understatement of the century.

The trouble is partly that (as is not unusual) no two sources seem to agree completely. But there are separate systems in the UK and the USA; and they're similar, but different. Also, there are apparently two US systems: a "traditional" one and a "modern" one.

And wait - it gets worse. Wikipedia cites the 1978–9 edition of Pears Cyclopaedia as its source for the UK system, but I have the 1992 edition which gives a different list from the one that's on Wikipedia. In fact, it's a cross between the lists that Wikipedia gives as the "Traditional UK" and "Traditional US" systems. (Wikipedia's source for the US systems is the Chicago Public Library.)

And then there's Infoplease. This doesn't cite its source (as is its wont), but it gives just one list, which it simply calls a Traditional Wedding Anniversary Gift List. (It is an American site.) But this may be the most useful one of all, if only because it agrees with Pears (1992 version) up to the 10th anniversary (with a couple of extras thrown in for years 7 to 9), and it includes the 'Traditional American' anniversaries which the other sources agree on for years 11 to 14 (which aren't mentioned in Pears); from years 25 to 60 it agrees with Pears where the latter has an entry, and where it doesn't (years 45 and 55), Infoplease includes the same 'Traditional American' gifts as the other sources (as with years 11 to 14).

The table below gives all the lists that I've mentioned above, with Infoplease in the first column.

Still thinking of setting quiz questions on anniversaries? Well good luck with that, I say. My advice, for what it's worth, is to use the Infoplease list; it seems to have reached a consensus of some sort, and it has all the entries most people would expect. Just make sure you specify your source.

As for the so-called 'modern American' system: it's clearly made up by the US luxury goods industry, simply to extract money from gullible Americans, and anyone who sets quiz questions about it (particularly for UK audiences) should be ashamed of themselves.

If you were to ask why I've included it on my website then, my answer would probably be that it's just so I can make that last point!

Anniv.		Infoplease		Traditional British (Pears 1992)		Traditional British (Wikipedia)		Traditional American		Modern American
1st		Paper				Cotton		Paper		Clock
2nd		Cotton				Paper		Cotton		China
3rd		Leather								Crystal, glass
4th		Fruit, flowers						Linen, silk		Electrical appliances
5th		Wood								Silverware
6th		Sugar						Iron		Wood
7th		Copper, wool		Wool						Desk sets, pen and pencil sets
8th		Bronze, pottery		Bronze		Salt		Bronze		Linens, lace
9th		Pottery, willow		Pottery		Copper		Pottery		Leather
10th		Tin						Tin, aluminum		Diamond
11th		Steel						Steel		Fashion jewellery, accessories
12th		Silk, linen				Silk, linen		Silk		Pearls, coloured gems
13th		Lace						Lace		Textiles, furs
14th		Ivory						Ivory		Gold jewellery
15th		Crystal								Watches
16th										Silver holloware
17th										Furniture
18th										Porcelain
19th										Bronze
20th		China								Platinum
21st										Brass, nickel
22nd										Copper
23rd										Silver plate
24th										Musical instruments
25th		Silver
30th		Pearl								Diamond
35th		Coral						Coral, jade		Jade
40th		Ruby
45th		Sapphire						Sapphire
50th		Gold
55th		Emerald						Emerald
60th		Diamond						Yellow diamond		Diamond
65th				Blue sapphire
70th				Platinum
75th				Diamond, gold
80th						Oak				Diamond, pearl
85th						Wine		Moonstone		Diamond, sapphire
90th						Granite				Diamond, emerald

Wikipedia cites two sources for its 80th anniversary entry (Oak): one from the Daily Telegraph and one from the British Monarchy (broken link). It cites one for the 90th (Granite) – the Daily Mirror – which also lists Oak for the 80th (but according to some Wikipedia editor is an unreliable source!)

© Haydn Thompson 2017–19