You're one of the first people who's never lived in a world without microwave ovens.
In April 2014, Alexis C. Madrigal defended the microwave against the growing distaste of middle class cooks.
You were born in May of 1948. This year, The Atlantic celebrates its 160th birthday, making it 2 times as old as you.
The year you were born, An Anonymous Jewish American wrote about his decision to change his clearly Jewish name.
Around the time you were born, the Soviet-backed Communist Party overthrew the democratic government of Czechoslovakia and began its 40-year rule of the country.
In October 2013, Vladimir Dubinsky interviewed Anne Applebaum about the rise of communism in Eastern Europe after World War II.
Around your 18th birthday, Bill Russell became the first African American coach in the NBA.
In June 2016, Eillie Anzilotti wrote about how the NBA is thriving because of its progressive politics and marketing strategy.
NASA
At 21 years old, you were alive to behold people walking on the moon.
Over the years, the moon landing has come to be lauded as the pinnacle of human achievement, although it was often derided at the time. In 1963, NASA astronauts took to The Atlantic to plead the case for landing on the moon.
Your life can be divided into two halves: before and after CD players.
In October 2012, Megan Garber wrote about the CD player turning 30 years old.
Mario Anzuoni / Reuters
In 1994, Samuel L. Jackson, who was born the same year as you, starred in the film Pulp Fiction, which earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.
Pulp Fiction also garnered awards for its screenplay and direction. In October 2014, Jason Bailey wrote about the film's distinct story-telling and directorial style.
NASA / JPL-Caltech / Space Science Institute
When you turned 59, you watched humankind reach the outer solar system.
With NASA's Cassini-Huygens mission in 2005, humans landed a probe in the outer reaches of the solar system for the first time, a moment Ross Andersen called the most glorious mission in the history of planetary science.
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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