Birthday profile

Alan Whetton

Alan Whetton, New Zealand rugby player

Born
December 15, 1959
Age in 2026
67
Zodiac sign
Sagittarius
Birth year
1959

About Alan Whetton

Alan Whetton (born 15 December 1959) also known as AJ is a former rugby union footballer who played for New Zealand's national team, the All Blacks. Whetton first played representative rugby for Auckland in 1981. He played alongside his twin brother Gary for Auckland and later the All Blacks. He played a variety of positions early in his career, playing at number eight and lock before playing most often as a flanker. He first played for the All Blacks in 1984 on their tour of Australia, and played his first Test match on 21 July against Australia. He toured with the controversial New Zealand Cavaliers on their tour of South Africa in 1986. He was banned for two matches for participating in the tour, but by 1987 had cemented his place in the All Blacks. As part of a loose forward trio with Buck Shelford and Michael Jones that played 13 Tests together, Whetton played throughout the All Blacks victorious Rugby World Cup campaign of 1987, scoring a try in each of the Pool matches, the Quarter Final and Semi Final. Whetton continued to play for the All Blacks until their semi-final defeat to Australia at the 1991 World Cup. He played for Auckland in 1992, and finished with 150 matches for his province. Following retirement from rugby in New Zealand, he was a player coach for Kobe Steel between 1996 and 1999. He was a commentator for New Zealand's TV3 network during their coverage of the 2007 Rugby World Cup,. Whetton is currently part of the Solid Gold (radio) breakfast team and is involved in the business of sporting signage. In his personal life, Whetton is married with two daughters.

Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.

The world when Alan Whetton was born

Alan Whetton was born in 1959. The year snapshot below places that birthday in its cultural and historical setting: the music and films people were following, the headlines shaping public life, and the everyday prices families encountered.

Culture in 1959

  • #1 song"Mack the Knife" – Bobby Darin
  • Top movieBen-Hur
  • Top TV showGunsmoke
  • Best-selling bookGoldfinger – Ian Fleming

Headlines and milestones

  • Major sports momentIngemar Johansson knocks out Floyd Patterson for heavyweight title
  • Top headlineAlaska and Hawaii become the 49th and 50th US states
  • Technology milestoneMicrochip (integrated circuit) invented
  • Defining fadBarbie dolls
  • Notable inventionBarbie doll
  • World population2.98 billion

United States snapshot

  • U.S. leaderDwight D. Eisenhower
  • Sports championLos Angeles Dodgers (World Series)
  • Also wonBoston Celtics (NBA)
  • U.S. population177.1M

1959 versus 2026

These figures put everyday life in Alan Whetton's birth year beside the site's latest United States snapshot.

Measure19592026
Gas$0.31$3.45/gal
Average home$12,400$435,000
Average income$7,000$67,500
Minimum wage$1.00$7.25/hr (federal)
Movie ticket$0.69$11.95
Postage stamp$0.04$0.73
Population177.1M341 million

Sources and editorial standards

This profile combines a biographical source with structured birthday and historical context. Sources recorded for this profile: Wikipedia, Rugby Database. See our editorial policy for sourcing, corrections, and review standards.

Read the source biography on Wikipedia. Wikipedia text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.