The 2007-2009 recession, already in the record books as the worst in the 66 years since the end... (Associated Press) 
 
 From the start of the recession at the end of 2007 to the end in June of 2009, the U.S. economy shrank 5.1 percent. A big reason behind the downward revision in first-quarter growth was that the inventory buildup by companies was less than initially estimated, while outlays by the federal government and consumers were also revised down.
– We already knew the Great Recession was the worst in decades, but in fact we were even worse off than we thought, new figures show. The economy shrank 5.1% over the course of the recession, from 2007 to 2009—1 percentage point worse than the earlier estimate of 4.1%, the AP reports. Only two in the past 10 recessions saw a squeeze of more than 3%. And yes, the economy is now growing—but it expanded only 1.3% from April to June, the Commerce Department said, lower than expected. Officials also revised the growth figure for the first three months of the year to 0.4%, compared to an earlier estimate of 1.9%. That means that the past 6 months have seen the least growth since the end of the recession. Among the reasons: Gas prices, less consumer spending, and smaller government, notes the Atlantic. Combine these figures with the debt ceiling crisis, and it’s “like hearing about the Hindenburg on the day the 6-mile meteor hits the earth,” said a blogger.