While there’s obviously no guarantee that this recession will follow the same path as ones that have come before, here’s a very interesting look at how this downturn compares to some of the biggest of the last 80 years.

The chart above, created by dshort.com and updated on Feb. 25, gives a very compelling look at the stock-market path of the current economic recession compared to those of the Great Depression, the 1973 oil crisis, and the recession caused by the collapse of the technology bubble at the beginning of this century.

A lot of facts, figures and odd measurements (like the actual height of a stack of one billion dollar bills) have been thrown around since the start of the recession, but I find this chart a very tangible quantification of what’s really happening. Hopefully, you will too.

Do you find this chart illustrates the recession better than others you’ve seen? Does it help you put the recession in real terms?