Nov 6
Obama Reelected
Obama defeated Mitt Romney with 51.1% of the vote. The coalition of young, diverse, and urban voters held. 'Four more years.'
🇺🇸United States · 10s
Four More Years
Obama reelected, Sandy Hook devastates, and 'Gangnam Style' goes viral.
What happened
5 milestones of 2012
Dec 14
Sandy Hook School Shooting
A gunman killed 20 children and 6 adults at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut. The victims were 6 and 7 years old. The nation wept. Congress did not pass gun reform.
mass shooting
Oct 29
Hurricane Sandy
'Superstorm Sandy' devastated the northeastern US, killing 233 people and causing $70 billion in damage. The New York subway flooded. The Jersey Shore was destroyed.
natural disaster
Aug 6
Mars Rover Curiosity Lands
NASA's Curiosity rover landed on Mars using an audacious 'sky crane' maneuver. It found evidence that Mars once had conditions suitable for microbial life.
Feb 26
Trayvon Martin Shooting
17-year-old Trayvon Martin was shot and killed by George Zimmerman in Sanford, Florida. Obama said, 'If I had a son, he'd look like Trayvon.' The case catalyzed the Black Lives Matter movement.
racial violence
What was playing
70% local · 30% international
What was in cinemas
The Avengers
Joss Whedon — Marvel assembled its heroes. $1.5 billion worldwide. The MCU peaked (so we thought).
The Dark Knight Rises
Christopher Nolan — Nolan's Batman trilogy concluded. Bane broke the Bat.
Django Unchained
Quentin Tarantino — Jamie Foxx as a freed slave seeking revenge. Tarantino's most provocative film.
Argo
Ben Affleck — A fake movie saves real hostages. Won Best Picture. 'Argo f*** yourself.'
The Hunger Games
Gary Ross — Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss. YA dystopia became the biggest genre.
What was on TV
Breaking Bad
2008-2013 — Season 5 began. Walter White was fully Heisenberg. 'Say my name.'
Game of Thrones
2011-2019 — Season 2. The Battle of Blackwater. The show was unstoppable.
Homeland
2011-2020 — Won Best Drama. Damian Lewis as Brody was riveting.
Girls
2012-2017 — Lena Dunham's millennial comedy. Divisive and influential.
Downton Abbey
2010-2015 — British period drama conquered America. PBS's biggest hit.
How much things cost
Currency: USD
Gallon of milk$3.44
Gallon of gas$3.60
New house (median)$245,200
New car (average)$24,000
Loaf of bread$1.42
Movie ticket$7.96
Inflation: 2.1%
The economy was slowly recovering. Housing prices were stabilizing. Unemployment was still high at 7.9%.
Then vs. Now
Inflation-adjusted values
Gallon of milkBLS
2012 (USD)
$3.44
→
Today's value ($)
--
Gallon of gasEIA
2012 (USD)
$3.60
→
Today's value ($)
--
New house (median)Census Bureau
2012 (USD)
$245,200
→
Today's value ($)
--
New car (average)BLS
2012 (USD)
$24,000
→
Today's value ($)
--
Loaf of breadBLS
2012 (USD)
$1.42
→
Today's value ($)
--
Movie ticketNATO
2012 (USD)
$7.96
→
Today's value ($)
--
Technology
Instagram bought by Facebook
Facebook paid $1 billion for Instagram. It had 30 million users. Photos were the new status update.
Tesla Model S
Tesla's luxury sedan proved electric cars could be desirable.
Curiosity rover on Mars
NASA's most advanced rover found evidence Mars could have supported life.
Gangnam Style breaks YouTube
PSY's video became the first to reach 1 billion YouTube views.
4G LTE widespread
Fast mobile internet became the norm. Streaming on phones was finally viable.
Pop Culture
Fashion
Galaxy printHigh-low skirtsOxblood everything
Slang
YOLO— You only live once (peaked)
Swag— Cool confidence, style
Legit— Genuine, for real
Behavior
- Gangnam Style proved K-pop could go global
- Instagram became the platform for curated life
- Sandy Hook didn't change gun laws — Americans debated what could
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