2006

What Was Happening in 2006

Twitter is born in 140 characters, Pluto loses planet status, and Zidane's headbutt stuns the World Cup final.

Born in

By the Numbers in 2006

World Population

UK Life Expectancy

59.3 years

US Life Expectancy

59.6 years

Gold Price (per oz)

$951.72

Dow Jones Index

11,261

US National Debt

Sovereign Nations

191

How Much Did Things Cost in 2006?

ItemUKUS
Average house price£167,000$215,000
Average salary£23,000$45,000
Pint of milk£0.30$0.41
Loaf of bread£0.65$1.14
Dozen eggs£1.48$1.45
Pint of beer£2.30$3.40
Gallon of petrol/gas£4.10$2.59
Cinema ticket£5.40$6.55

Technology and Inventions in 2006

Twitter launched in July, beginning as a micro-blogging curiosity. Nintendo's Wii brought motion-controlled gaming to the masses. Google bought YouTube for $1.65 billion. Blu-ray and HD DVD battled for the next-generation disc format. Facebook opened to the public beyond universities.

  • Twitter launched on 15 July
  • Google acquired YouTube for $1.65 billion
  • Nintendo Wii launched with motion controls
  • Facebook opened registration to everyone aged 13+

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