A few days ago I posted a chart of the S&P 500 created by Praveen Chawla using the Mekko Chart Creator, an Excel add-on.

Here is his latest update, which extends the time frame back to 1871. Note: This is a wide chart, so if your computer has a screen like mine, you'll need some horizontal scrolling.

The chart gives a curious perspective (those gold blocks) on the time spent recovering from bear bottoms to the pre-bear level. That big gold block after the Crash of 1929 is the dominant feature. Of course, a total return version would be radically different (That's a hint, Praveen).