It's difficult to comprehend the onset and severity of the 2008 financial crisis, but this timelapse map of US unemployment data from 1990 through July 2016 helps put things in context.
FlowingData used data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics to create the pulsing map. It's interesting to watch it a few times focusing on different parts of the country.
• Animated Map of Unemployment (YouTube / FlowingData)