Graphs, charts and maps were used throughout their long history for multiple purposes. For example, the first visual representation of statistical data was created in 1644 by Michael van Langren. It was a one dimensional graph showing the available estimates of longitude distance between Toledo and Rome. The information from that graph was used to improve sea navigation and reduce the number of shipwrecks.
Exploring the history of visualizing data also gives us a pictorial insight into interests and needs of the people who lived and did research a long time ago. One such insightful example includes a graph that shows life spans of 2.000 famous people who were celebs before 1765.
You can learn these facts and other trivia as you follow the evolution of data visualization in the infographic below.
Infographic by: investintech