Life Timeline

For those born August 23, 1990.

Not your birthday? Find your timeline here.

1989
Before you were born

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

In April 2014, Eric Levenson looked back on the games that popularized handheld gaming.

1990
Beginnings

Around the time you were born, Iraq invaded Kuwait.

In January 2016, Alan Taylor published a photo essay to mark the 25th anniversary of the beginning of the Gulf War.

1990
Year 32

You were born in August of 1990. This year, The Atlantic celebrates its 160th birthday, making it 5 times as old as you.

The year you were born, Bernard Lewis wrote about the origins of the resentment felt by some Muslims toward the West.

2001

Jason Redmond / AP

The 9/11 Attacks

At 11 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.

2003

Everett Collection

The teenage years

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

Agent Cody Banks was released in 2003.

2003
Half a life ago

Your life can be divided into two halves: before and after the iTunes Store.

In January 2013, Rebecca Greenfield wrote that the future of the iTunes Store lies not in music, but in apps.

2008
Coming of age

Around your 18th birthday, the Georgian Army was sent to South Ossetia, marking the beginning of the Russo–Georgian War.

In August 2008, Jeffrey Tayler wrote about the Russia–Georgia conflict and Georgian President Saakashvili.

2010

Goran Tomasevic / Reuters

The Arab Spring

When you turned 20, 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.

2013

Alessandro Bianchi / Reuters

Contemporaries

In 2013, Jennifer Lawrence, who was born the same year as you, won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in the film Silver Linings Playbook.

In October 2015, Bourree Lam wrote about Jennifer Lawrence's criticisms of the wage gap.

2050
Forecasts

By the time you turn 59, 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.

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: