By the Numbers in 2009
World Population
—
UK Life Expectancy
59.4 years
US Life Expectancy
59.8 years
Gold Price (per oz)
$1,292.05
Dow Jones Index
11,498
US National Debt
—
Sovereign Nations
192
How Much Did Things Cost in 2009?
| Item | UK | US |
|---|---|---|
| Average house price | £160,000 | $172,000 |
| Average salary | £24,500 | $46,000 |
| Pint of milk | £0.34 | $0.43 |
| Loaf of bread | £0.82 | $1.38 |
| Dozen eggs | £1.72 | $1.84 |
| Pint of beer | £2.60 | $3.55 |
| Gallon of petrol/gas | £4.20 | $2.35 |
| Cinema ticket | £5.90 | $7.50 |
Technology and Inventions in 2009
WhatsApp was founded, though it would take a few years to dominate messaging. The iPhone 3GS made smartphones mainstream for non-techies. Windows 7 launched to praise after Vista's disaster. Minecraft began development. Bitcoin's genesis block was mined in January, though almost nobody noticed.
- ● Bitcoin genesis block mined on 3 January by Satoshi Nakamoto
- ● WhatsApp founded by former Yahoo employees
- ● Windows 7 released to widespread praise
- ● Minecraft development began, launching in alpha
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