Life Timeline

For those born August 15, 1977.

Not your birthday? Find your timeline here.

1976
Before you were born

You're one of the first people who's never lived in a world without Apple.

In September 2015, Megan Garber wrote about the professional genius and personal failings of Apple founder Steve Jobs, and a new documentary that considered his mixed legacy.

1977
Year 45

You were born in August of 1977. This year, The Atlantic celebrates its 160th birthday, making it 4 times as old as you.

The year you were born, Elizabeth and James Vorenberg wrote about the prevailing approach to prostitution in American cities, and how it differed from more permissive policies in Europe and rural Nevada.

1977
Beginnings

Around the time you were born, the cultural icon Elvis Presley died at the age of 42.

In July 2014, Noah Berlatsky considered cultural misconceptions about Elvis Presley's iconic place in rock and roll.

1989

Patrick Hertzog / AFP / Getty Images

After the Fall

At 12 years old, you saw the collapse of the Berlin Wall.

“It was thought that all borders between men had similarly disintegrated, and we were all destined to be free and empowered individuals in a global meeting place,” wrote Robert Kaplan 20 years later.

1990

Everett Collection

The teenage years

This is what Hollywood thought teenagers looked like the year you became one.

Pump Up the Volume was released in 1990.

1995
Coming of age

Around your 18th birthday, Bosnian Serb forces took control of a United Nations safe area.

In July 2015, David Rohde wrote about the Srebrenica massacre and how the UN had continued to fail to protect humans from slaughter.

1996
Half a life ago

Your life can be divided into two halves: before and after Pokémon.

In July 2016, David Sims described the path from Pokémon Red and Blue to Pokémon Go.

2004

Eric Thayer / Reuters

Contemporaries

In 2004, Kanye West, who was born the same year as you, released The College Dropout.

In May 2012, David Samuels wrote about whether or not Kanye West could find redemption in the Watch the Throne tour after years of harsh critiques.

2010

Goran Tomasevic / Reuters

After the Spring

When you turned 33, you saw the rise of the Arab Spring.

People across the world rediscovered the power and peril of revolutions, as Laura Kasinof found in Yemen.

2032
Forecasts

By the time you turn 54, the collective GDP of the four leading developing countries (Brazil, Russia, India, and China) is likely to match that of today's leading Western nations.

In February 2012, Charles A. Kupchan wrote about the world's emerging economies, and how the world will look by 2050.

Today
History in the making

History is happening all around you, every day.

The Atlantic is here to help you process it, in stories like these: