Your time capsule is ready
In your 40 years you’ve been around for…
- 10 Prime Ministers
- 2 monarchs
- 10 World Cups
- +3.2 billion people on Earth
More 1986 discoveries are being added
We're filling in 1986 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…
- 3 The World Wide Web was invented 1989
- 8 The PlayStation 1994
- 12 Google was founded 1998
- 15 Wikipedia launched 2001
- 18 Facebook was founded 2004
- 19 YouTube was founded 2005
A gentle reality check
Things that are younger than you
- 1987 The Simpsons first appeared
- 1989 The Game Boy
- 1989 The World Wide Web was invented
- 1990 The Hubble Space Telescope launched
- 1991 The first website went online
- 1991 Sonic the Hedgehog
- 1992 The first text message
- 1994 The Channel Tunnel opened
1986 vs today
A few things have changed since you arrived
A few things 1986 Today
- Everyone on Earth about 5.0 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 1986? Send them their year — or see every way to explore 1986.
Keep exploring
-
What was the world like when you turned 18? →
The year 2004, through fresh eyes.
-
Things that are younger than you →
From the NHS to the iPhone — how much arrived after you did?
-
Your life in history →
A timeline of your milestones, matched with history.
-
Compare 1986 with 1998 →
Two birth years, side by side. Try it with family.