Taylor Swift Goes Platinum in the 1st Week

Taylor Swift's new album, Red, had the biggest sales week for any album in 10 years. Her new album sold over 1.2 million copies in its first week. In an era where album sales are significantly lower than they were a decade ago, this is an incredible feat. In fact, it's the second time she's gone platinum in the first week. Swift's Speak Now sold over a million in 2010. The last time any album went over 1 million in its first week was when Lady Gaga's Born This Way did the trick in 2011.

The last album to sell more than Swift's Red was Eminem's The Eminem Show in 2002. You know...2 years before Facebook was launched, 3 years before YouTube, and 5 years before the iPhone was invented. Back then, Barack Obama was in his 3rd term as a state senator from Illinois. Meanwhile, Mitt Romney was between gigs, after running the Salt Lake City Olympics and before becoming Governor of Massachusetts.