World Population
How many people shared the planet
people on Earth when they were born
people on Earth when you were born
By the time your generation arrived, the world had gained 2.36 billion more people. Today it stands at 8.2B - 3.8B more since you were born.
🇺🇸 United States Leadership
Who was in charge
President of United States
President of United States
🇺🇸 Life Expectancy
How long a generation could expect to live
at birth in United States
at birth in United States
Your generation can expect 14 years longer on average than the previous one. The gap between the longest- and shortest-lived countries narrowed from 39.7 years to 30.5 years.
🇺🇸 Economy - GDP Per Capita
Real purchasing power at birth
United States - in today's dollars
United States - in today's dollars
All figures adjusted to 2024 dollars. A positive shift means real economic growth, not just inflation.
Economy - Median Household Income (US)
What a typical family earned
median household income in today's dollars
median household income in today's dollars
Figures are in 2024 dollars. This shows whether typical families actually got ahead - adjusted for inflation.
Housing Affordability (US)
How many years of income to buy a home
years of median income to buy median home
years of median income to buy median home
Lower ratio means more affordable. A ratio of 3 means a median home cost 3 years of median salary.
Everyday Prices
What things cost in the US - in today's dollars
All prices adjusted to 2024 dollars. A negative change means something got cheaper in real terms.
🎵 Music
Top Song
by Rudy Vallee & His Connecticut Yankees
by Blondie
🏆 Film
Oscar Best Picture
dir. Lewis Milestone
dir. Robert Benton
📺 Television
Most-watched TV show
NBC Radio
CBS
💻 Technology
The defining tech moment
Scotch tape invented by 3M engineer Richard Drew, transforming packaging and hou...
CNN launches as the world's first 24-hour cable news network; Pac-Man debuts in ...
💾 Storage
Average hard drive capacity
typical computer storage
typical computer storage
📱 Mobile
Mobile phone subscribers worldwide
subscribers globally
subscribers globally
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What was happening when each generation arrived
1930
The Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act signed into law by President Hoover, raising US import duties to record levels and triggering retaliatory tariffs that deepened the global Great Depression
Uruguay defeats Argentina 4-2 to win the inaugural FIFA World Cup, held in Montevideo before a crowd of 93,000 - the first football World Cup in history
German federal elections give the Nazi Party 107 Reichstag seats, making it the second-largest party and signalling the collapse of the Weimar Republic
Getulio Vargas seizes power in Brazil in a military coup, ending the Old Republic and beginning 15 years of authoritarian rule
1980
US hostage rescue mission in Iran (Operation Eagle Claw) fails, killing eight American servicemen
Mount St. Helens volcano erupts in Washington state, killing 57 people in the deadliest volcanic event in US history
Solidarity trade union founded by Lech Walesa in Poland, challenging Soviet-backed communist rule
Iraq invades Iran, beginning the Iran-Iraq War that will last eight years and kill over a million people
The Year That Shaped You
The music, movies, and events of your coming-of-age year hit differently. This is the world each generation stepped into as adults.
1948
When they turned 18
1998
When you turned 18
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