After examining the history of data visualization greats I decided to collect my learnings in the style of history’s data visualization greats. The first of these visual summaries is presented and discussed below.
A map to guide you through the early developments of data visualization, including cartoons of 75 key charts, in the style of John Ogilby’s 1675 Road Atlas.
Note: this image is sized for web-consumption and is only a fraction of the actual piece which you can be properly enjoyed by
John Ogilby published his BRITANNIA Road atlas, the first of its breadth and quality, in 1675. BRITANNIA Plate No. 25, LONDON to Andover, became a visual and cartographic icon, revered and analyzed by many including Monty Python’s Terry Jones. This most famous journey is below, you can see the other 99 plates here.
I have placed cartoons representing important works of data visualization along a fictitious scroll map in the style of Ogilby’s atlas. The road marches you through time, passing many charts, through towns (named for key contributors whose charts make up said towns), and over waterways that mark important dates. You can learn more about all of these landmark charts and contributors to the field, including links to images of all of the original charts, here.
