🇺🇸 United States
United States at a glance, from the World Bank's development indicators and the IMF World Economic Outlook (dashed lines are IMF forecasts).
People
Population
inhabitants · net migration on the rightLife expectancy
years at birth, next to the Netherlands and the worldFertility and ageing
births per woman · share aged 65+ on the rightEconomy
GDP per capita
PPP, constant 2021 international $ · vs the Netherlands and the worldReal GDP growth
% a year · IMF WEO incl. forecastsInflation
% consumer prices, a yearUnemployment
% of the labour forceTrade
exports and imports of goods and services, % of GDPTourism
international arrivals · receipts (US$) on the rightGovernment and energy
Government finances
% of GDP · IMF (general government)Energy
net energy imports (% of use) · renewable share of electricityHistory
Population since 1500
inhabitants · HYDE, Gapminder and UN, via Our World in DataGDP per person, long run
Maddison Project Database 2023 · World Bank from 1990 (different price base)Life expectancy, long run
years at birth · Riley, Zijdeman et al., HMD and UN WPP via Our World in DataUrbanisation
% of people living in urban areas · HYDE long run, UN since 1950Timeline
17th century
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The first permanent English settlement in North America is founded in Virginia. Wikipedia
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About 20 enslaved Africans arrive at Point Comfort, Virginia. Wikipedia
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Pilgrims sign the Mayflower Compact and found Plymouth Colony. Wikipedia
18th century
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19 April 1775. Fighting at Lexington and Concord starts the war against Britain; it ends with the Treaty of Paris in 1783. Wikipedia
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4 July 1776. The Second Continental Congress adopts the Declaration of Independence on 4 July 1776. Wikipedia
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17 September 1787. The Constitution is signed in Philadelphia and ratified in 1788; Washington becomes president in 1789. Wikipedia
19th century
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The US buys about 2.1 million km² from France, doubling its size. Wikipedia
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The forced removal of Native nations west of the Mississippi follows, including the Trail of Tears. Wikipedia
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Mexico cedes California and the Southwest in 1848; the California Gold Rush starts the same year. Wikipedia
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12 April 1861. Eleven slave states secede; about 620,000–750,000 soldiers die before the Union wins in 1865. Wikipedia
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1 January 1863. Lincoln declares enslaved people in the rebel states free; the 13th Amendment abolishes slavery in 1865. Wikipedia
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10 May 1869. The first transcontinental railroad is completed at Promontory Summit, Utah. Wikipedia
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The US gains Puerto Rico, Guam and the Philippines and annexes Hawaii. Wikipedia
20th century
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6 April 1917. The US declares war on Germany on 6 April 1917. Wikipedia
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The 19th Amendment guarantees women the right to vote. Wikipedia
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The October 1929 crash opens the Great Depression; unemployment reaches about 25% in 1933. Wikipedia
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Franklin D. Roosevelt's programmes include Social Security (1935) and large public works. Wikipedia
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7 December 1941. Japan attacks Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941 and the US enters the war. Wikipedia
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6 and 9 August 1945. The US drops atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki; the United Nations is founded in San Francisco. Wikipedia
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The Truman Doctrine (1947) and the Marshall Plan commit the US to containing the Soviet Union. Wikipedia
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US-led UN forces fight in Korea until the 1953 armistice. Wikipedia
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17 May 1954. The Supreme Court rules racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional. Wikipedia
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October 1962. A 13-day stand-off with the Soviet Union over missiles in Cuba. Wikipedia
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2 July 1964. Outlaws discrimination by race, colour, religion, sex or national origin; the Voting Rights Act follows in 1965. Wikipedia
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US combat troops fight in Vietnam from 1965; the last leave in 1973 and Saigon falls in 1975. Wikipedia
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20 July 1969. Apollo 11 lands on the Moon; Neil Armstrong is the first person to walk on it. Wikipedia
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9 August 1974. Richard Nixon is the first president to resign. Wikipedia
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The Soviet Union dissolves in December 1991, leaving the US as the sole superpower. Wikipedia
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The Mosaic browser (1993) and the commercial internet start the dot-com era. Wikipedia
21st century
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11 September 2001. Al-Qaeda attacks kill nearly 3,000 people; the wars in Afghanistan (2001) and Iraq (2003) follow. Wikipedia
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The collapse of Lehman Brothers deepens the Great Recession. Wikipedia
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The first African-American president is elected in November 2008. Wikipedia
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More than 1.1 million deaths in the US by 2023. Wikipedia
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6 January 2021. Supporters of Donald Trump storm the Capitol on 6 January 2021 to stop the certification of the 2020 election. Wikipedia
34 key events, curated and summarised from the linked articles (mostly Wikipedia, CC BY-SA). Tap a theme to filter.
Politics
Head of state: President of the United States
49 holders on Wikidata, newest first| Donald Trump | Republican Party | 2025–now |
| Joe Biden | Democratic Party | 2021–2025 |
| Phil Baker | 2018–now | |
| Donald Trump | Republican Party | 2017–2021 |
| Barack Obama | Democratic Party | 2009–2017 |
| George W. Bush | Republican Party | 2001–2009 |
| Bill Clinton | Democratic Party | 1993–2001 |
| George H. W. Bush | Republican Party | 1989–1993 |
| Ronald Reagan | Republican Party / Democratic Party | 1981–1989 |
| Jimmy Carter | Democratic Party | 1977–1981 |
Culture
Religious composition, 2010 and 2020
% of the whole population| Group | 2010 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|
| Christians | 78.3 | 64.0 |
| Religiously unaffiliated | 16.5 | 29.7 |
| Jews | 1.8 | 1.7 |
| Buddhists | 1.2 | 1.3 |
| Muslims | 0.9 | 1.2 |
| Other religions | 0.8 | 1.2 |
| Hindus | 0.6 | 0.9 |
Public holidays
next 16- 11 Nov 2026 Veterans Day
- 26 Nov 2026 Thanksgiving Day
- 25 Dec 2026 Christmas Day
- 1 Jan 2027 New Year's Day
- 18 Jan 2027 Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
- 12 Feb 2027 Lincoln's Birthday(regional)
- 15 Feb 2027 Presidents Day· Washington's Birthday
- 26 Mar 2027 Good Friday(regional)
- 8 May 2027 Truman Day(regional)
- 31 May 2027 Memorial Day
- 18 Jun 2027 Juneteenth National Independence Day
- 5 Jul 2027 Independence Day
- 6 Sept 2027 Labour Day· Labor Day
- 11 Oct 2027 Columbus Day(regional)
- 11 Oct 2027 Indigenous Peoples' Day(regional)
- 11 Nov 2027 Veterans Day
UNESCO World Heritage
27 sites · year inscribed- 1978 Mesa Verde National Park · cultural
- 1978 Yellowstone National Park · natural
- 1979 Everglades National Park · natural · in danger
- 1979 Grand Canyon National Park · natural
- 1979 Independence Hall · cultural
- 1979 Kluane / Wrangell-St. Elias / Glacier Bay / Tatshenshini-Alsek · natural
- 1980 Redwood National and State Parks · natural
- 1981 Mammoth Cave National Park · natural
- 1981 Olympic National Park · natural
- 1982 Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site · cultural
- 1983 Great Smoky Mountains National Park · natural
- 1983 La Fortaleza and San Juan National Historic Site in Puerto Rico · cultural
- 1984 Statue of Liberty · cultural
- 1984 Yosemite National Park · natural
- 1987 Chaco Culture · cultural
- 1987 Hawaii Volcanoes National Park · natural
- 1987 Monticello and the University of Virginia in Charlottesville · cultural
- 1992 Taos Pueblo · cultural
- 1995 Carlsbad Caverns National Park · natural
- 1995 Waterton Glacier International Peace Park · natural
- 2010 Papahānaumokuākea · mixed
- 2014 Monumental Earthworks of Poverty Point · cultural
- 2015 Moravian Church Settlements · cultural
- 2015 San Antonio Missions · cultural
- 2019 The 20th-Century Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright · cultural
- 2023 Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks · cultural
- 2026 Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge · natural
Well-known people
ranked by the number of Wikipedia language editions- 340 Barack Obama 1961 · 44th President of the United States (2009–2017)
- 334 Donald Trump 1946 · President of the United States (2017–2021; since 2025)
- 322 Albert Einstein 1879–1955 · German-born theoretical physicist (1879–1955)
- 322 Michael Jackson 1958–2009 · American singer, songwriter, record producer, and dancer (1958–2009)
- 304 Ronald Reagan 1911–2004 · president of the United States from 1981 to 1989 and actor (1911–2004)
- 296 Abraham Lincoln 1809–1865 · president of the United States from 1861 to 1865 (1809-1865)
- 280 George W. Bush 1946 · 43rd President of the United States (2001–2009)
- 278 Joe Biden 1942 · 46th President of the United States (2021–2025)
- 275 George Washington 1732–1799 · Founding Father and first U.S. president (1732–1799)
- 254 Thomas Edison 1847–1931 · American inventor and businessman (1847–1931)
- 252 Mark Twain 1835–1910 · American author and humorist (1835–1910)
- 250 John F. Kennedy 1917–1963 · president of the United States from 1961 to 1963 (1917–1963)
- 248 Martin Luther King Jr. 1929–1968 · American Baptist minister and civil rights leader (1929–1968)
- 246 Franklin Delano Roosevelt 1882–1945 · president of the United States from 1933 to 1945 (1882–1945)
- 243 Bill Gates 1955 · American businessman, investor, and philanthropist (born 1955)
- 241 Marilyn Monroe 1926–1962 · American actress and model (1926–1962)
- 237 Jimmy Wales 1966 · co-founder of Wikipedia (born 1966)
- 231 Steve Jobs 1955–2011 · American entrepreneur; co-founder of Apple Inc. (1955–2011)
- 225 Thomas Jefferson 1743–1826 · Founding Father, U.S. president from 1801 to 1809 (1743–1826)
- 225 Edgar Allan Poe 1809–1849 · American writer and literary critic (1809–1849)
Food
curated, with sources- Hamburgers, barbecue and fast food American cuisine spread worldwide through fast-food chains; regional barbecue, Tex-Mex and soul food are distinctly American. Wikipedia
Cultural exports
curated, with sources- Hollywood Since the 1910s Hollywood has been the centre of the global film industry. Wikipedia
- Jazz, blues and rock 'n' roll African-American music (blues, jazz, rock 'n' roll, hip hop) became the basis of popular music worldwide. Wikipedia
- Silicon Valley Apple, Google, Meta and others made Silicon Valley the centre of the global tech industry. Wikipedia
- NBA and Super Bowl Basketball (invented 1891) and the NBA are a global export; the Super Bowl is one of the most-watched broadcasts. Wikipedia