What Set the 'Mood' for Your Parents When You Were Conceived?

It's one of those things we tend *not* to think about: the actual moment we were conceived... However, buried in various datasets is an interesting story about this moment, ranging from statistical facts like average local birth rates or ambient temperatures to more contextual information like fashion trends, popular songs or movies, and the like.

The interactive infographic titled "Historical Snapshots of Birth Trends" [ge.com] by The Barbarian Group aptly demonstrates how such 'dry' data can become relevant and engaging when it is combined with one's own context, for instance by inviting people to select their own birth date. It's thus another example of a situated visualization, in that it contextualizes the shown information to one's own, personal circumstances.

Unfortunately, the infographic does not allow self-voyeurism, for instance by exploring the date when you conceived your own children, at least when they were born after the year 2000.