21st Birthday

[sadbutt]

Hi,

What is the significance of a 21st birthday, why 21?

[kempie]

In the 'Good Old Days' this was the age you could vote and do many other things previously forbidden to you; formally called the age of majority. Traditionally it was also the time when parents would give you the 'key of the door' i.e. let you have a doorkey.

The age of majority dropped to 18 in 1969.

[Solarjunkie]

I believe it was taken as the age that a man was strong enough to draw a sword, and therefore an adult.

[Tim Baxter]

It's sadbuttrue that youth is getting older by the minute!  It's all to do with the age of maturity which is physically getting younger all the time.  Apparently, because of our being better nourished we mature physically much younger than we used to.  Whether we can psychologically or emotionally cope with it is another matter.......

[Oneeyedvic]

As kempie says, it always used to be 21. My wife was born in 1950, and there was no big fuss of being made 18. 21 was reagarded as the speacil year. Becasue of the age of majority dropping in 1969 (when she was 19), when she turned 21, it was agin nothing special, people celebrating the 18th birthday more.

 

After three now, 1, 2, 3, aaaaahhhhh.

[newtron]

In the US, the 21st birthday is special because you can finally legally drink alcohol and go to bars. 

[Hamish]

Hi Folks,

I'm not sure I totaly agree with Tim. In recent years this certialy appears to be the case, However in the middle ages etc it was not unusual to have a family at 15, and be an oldman at 35-40......

[sadbutt]

A good variety of answers here, the age of majority looks like the general consensus, thanks for all your help, and Tim........keep taking the pills!