How Bad Did Unemployment Get During the Great Recession?

A lot of people who are struggling with income loss and financial insecurity in the wake of COVID-19 are getting unpleasant flashbacks to the Great Recession, which began in December 2007 and lasted all the way until June 2009. The Great Recession was brutal based on its sheer length, but when it comes to unemployment, our current COVID-19-induced recession has actually been far more extreme. What did unemployment look like during the Great Recession?