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 1.61 billion more people. Today it stands at 8.2B - 2.9B 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 4.6 years longer on average than the previous one. The gap between the longest- and shortest-lived countries narrowed from 35.4 years to 33.2 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 Simon & Garfunkel
by Wilson Phillips
🏆 Film
Oscar Best Picture
dir. John Schlesinger
dir. Oliver Stone
📺 Television
Most-watched TV show
ABC
NBC
💻 Technology
The defining tech moment
Floppy disk invented at IBM; UNIX operating system developed at Bell Labs
Tim Berners-Lee proposes the World Wide Web at CERN; the first web server goes l...
💾 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
1970
Apollo 13 oxygen tank explodes en route to the Moon; crew safely returns to Earth
First Earth Day celebrated on April 22, marking birth of the modern environmental movement
National Guard kills four student protesters at Kent State University during Vietnam War protest
Jimi Hendrix dies at age 27 in London; Janis Joplin dies the same month
1990
Nelson Mandela released from Victor Verster Prison after 27 years, signaling the end of apartheid in South Africa
Iraq invades Kuwait, triggering the Gulf Crisis and a US-led international coalition response
German reunification - East and West Germany officially reunify after 45 years of division
Margaret Thatcher resigns as UK Prime Minister after 11 years, succeeded by John Major
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.
1988
When they turned 18
2008
When you turned 18
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