Historical Data Visualization Examples
Although the term data visualization often makes one think of colorful charts from Excel or interactive infographics, simpler forms have been around for centuries. Some of the first data visualizations examples would have been done in clay, rock or even sand, dating back thousand of year, according to
DataArt
. Maps became the main subject for data visualization for many years, using mediums such as papyrus.
In 7 Great Data Visualization Examples from History , Michael Goldberg explains several pre-technology data visualization examples hold a special place in history because the authors had to hand code and design each one. One of those included Dmitri Mendeleev, who developed the Periodic Table. It was significant in that it showed all the elements could be combined into one table by atomic structure instead of separated by atomic weight or common properties.
In 7 Great Data Visualization Examples from History , Michael Goldberg explains several pre-technology data visualization examples hold a special place in history because the authors had to hand code and design each one. One of those included Dmitri Mendeleev, who developed the Periodic Table. It was significant in that it showed all the elements could be combined into one table by atomic structure instead of separated by atomic weight or common properties.
In 1869, Charles Minard created a graphic showing Napoleon’s campaign and retreat in Russian. The multivariate data presented includes the size of the army, the army’s location, direction of the army’s movement and temperatures on certain dates. Edward Tufte describes it as being possibly the “best statistical graphic ever drawn.”
Mapping deaths from cholera, John Snow was able to visually display that the Broad Street water pump may have been the source of the outbreak in 1854. Although he was not the first to map the epidemic, he was the first to use the underlying scientific theory for cholera’s transmission in this historical data visualization example.
Florence Nightingale used visual illustrations for data she felt could not be “readily grasped when contained in figures” in her campaign for more sanitary conditions and quality care for soldiers. She was able to communicate the great number of soldiers were dying due to conditions rather than their war wounds through this historic data visualization example.
One of the first examples of stereograms is Luigi Perozzo’s
Numero Assoluto dei Nati Vivi,
which moved into 3D imagery. Several 3D data visualization systems were discovered during the last 1800s. Perrozzo’s diagram illustrates the population of Sweden from 1750 to 1875 and was published around 1880. Further notability came from it being printed in color which enhanced the depth perception. DataArt explains that the diagram shows year horizontally, number of individuals vertically and age groups by depth.
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