Happy Birthdays

A look back at life-expectancy statistics over time and in light of contemporaneous world events can be interesting. For example,  "In 1970 Vietnam had a life expectancy of 48, and it is 75 now – it took England and Wales from 1894 to 1986 to make this transition": http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20120410-a-matter-of-life-and-death/1