You're one of the first people who's never lived in a world without texting.
In August 2011, Jamie Holmes wrote about how SMS is the driving force behind technology-enabled changes in commerce, crime, political participation, and governing in the developing world.
You were born in March of 1993. This year, The Atlantic celebrates its 160th birthday, making it 6 times as old as you.
The year you were born, Erik Larson wrote about America's weak gun laws.
Around the time you were born, the World Trade Center was bombed.
In August 2016, Kathleen Hicks wrote about how America should respond to terrorism without compromising constitutional rights and freedoms.
Jason Redmond / AP
At 8 years old, you were part of the generation most shaped by 9/11.
The conflicts and displacements touched off around the world by the attacks have been reverberating for the majority of your life. “This ‘war’ [on terrorism] will never be over,” wrote James Fallows, a few years after the towers fell.
Your life can be divided into two halves: before and after Facebook.
In May 2012, Stephen Marche wrote about how Facebook and other social-media platforms were making people lonely, even as they connected them to others more than ever before.
Fred Hayes / Disney Channel
This is what Hollywood thought teenagers looked like the year you became one.
High School Musical was released in 2006.
Goran Tomasevic / Reuters
When you turned 17, you witnessed the revolutionary fervor that transformed the Arab world in 2010, a movement led by your generation.
When 26-year-old Mohamed Bouazizi set himself on fire, he ignited a tinderbox of protests that continue to roil the Middle East, and kindled the beginnings of democracy in Tunisia.
Around your 18th birthday, the Space Shuttle Discovery made its final landing after 39 flights.
In February 2011, Alan Taylor published a photo essay on Discovery's final launch.
Brendan McDermid / Reuters
In 2014, Ariana Grande, who was born the same year as you, released the Billboard Hot 100 songs "Problem," "Break Free," and "Love Me Harder."
In August 2014, Kevin O'Keeffe wrote about which emojis would represent celebrities.
By the time you turn 56, China is predicted to be the world's largest economy.
In February 2012, Charles A. Kupchan wrote about the world's emerging economies, and how the world will look by 2050.
History is happening all around you, every day.
The Atlantic is here to help you process it, in stories like these:
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