Your time capsule is ready
In your 55 years you’ve been around for…
- 12 Prime Ministers
- 2 monarchs
- 14 World Cups
- +4.4 billion people on Earth
More 1971 discoveries are being added
We're filling in 1971 in detail. In the meantime, the comparisons above and below always work — and every link from here leads somewhere interesting.
When these arrived
You were only…
- 8 The Sony Walkman 1979
- 18 The World Wide Web was invented 1989
- 23 The PlayStation 1994
- 27 Google was founded 1998
- 30 Wikipedia launched 2001
- 33 Facebook was founded 2004
A gentle reality check
Things that are younger than you
- 1972 Pong, the arcade hit
- 1973 The first mobile phone call
- 1975 Microsoft was founded
- 1975 Jaws invented the summer blockbuster
- 1976 Apple was founded
- 1975 Home video recorders
- 1977 Star Wars was released
- 1979 The Sony Walkman
1971 vs today
A few things have changed since you arrived
A few things 1971 Today
- Everyone on Earth about 3.8 billion about 8.2 billion
Indicative sample data — being verified and expanded.
See the full Then vs Now →Pick the version you want to share
Know someone born in 1971? Send them their year — or see every way to explore 1971.
Keep exploring
-
What was the world like when you turned 18? →
The year 1989, through fresh eyes.
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Things that are younger than you →
From the NHS to the iPhone — how much arrived after you did?
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Your life in history →
A timeline of your milestones, matched with history.
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Compare 1971 with 1998 →
Two birth years, side by side. Try it with family.