The archive in aggregate

127 dead things, one spreadsheet-shaped autopsy. The median thing here lasted about 24 years before somebody pulled the plug.

What kills things

Entries per cause of death.

  • Killed by a successor33 entries
  • Killed by indifference29 entries
  • Killed by cost19 entries
  • Killed by regulation13 entries
  • Killed by merger9 entries
  • Killed by one executive8 entries
  • Killed by scandal7 entries
  • Killed by lawsuit6 entries
  • Killed by disaster3 entries

Median lifespan by category

How long each kind of thing typically held on.

  • Food & Drinkabout 7 years
  • Software & Servicesabout 9 years
  • Consumer Hardwareabout 7 years
  • Vehiclesabout 31 years
  • Names & Designationsabout 56 years
  • Places & Institutionsabout 61 years

Deaths per decade

When the entries in the archive actually ended.

  • 1900s1 death
  • 1910s2 deaths
  • 1920s1 death
  • 1950s2 deaths
  • 1960s1 death
  • 1970s2 deaths
  • 1980s3 deaths
  • 1990s16 deaths
  • 2000s23 deaths
  • 2010s49 deaths
  • 2020s27 deaths

Every number here is derived from the sourced dates on the individual entries. Start on the wall to see them laid end to end.