Global debt hasn't been this bad since the Napoleonic Wars

Trade was the engine of growth for decades. Now overall debt is approaching the world’s total economic output. It doesn't look good.

“Since the Napoleonic Wars” paints a dire picture; surely war in Europe and global badness are related!

One might instead use “since the Industrial Revolution”, “since we started abolishing the global slave trade”, or “since the smallpox vaccine” to assemble a sensational attention grabber.

My hemorrhoids haven’t been this bad since the last Cicada brood cycle! Do I need insecticide, or preparation-h?