1850-1899: Golden Age of data graphics

Discovery of time course of muscle action and nerve impulses by graphical methods.

Map incorporating statistical diagrams: circles proportional to coal production (published in 1861)

Statistical graphics used in a lawsuit. (Reported by Ernst Engel at the 7th meetings of the International Statistical Congress, 1869, The Hague

First international statistics conference (organized by Quetelet)

Guerry's ordonnateur statistique is arguably the first mechanical device invented
to aid statistical calculation and the assessment of the relationship between
social and moral variables.

An augmented graphic representation of a train schedule for 35 railways stations, between St. Petersburg and Moscow. This was designed by Lt. Sergev in 1854.

Minard, a visual engineer, was asked to investigate the cause of the collapse of the bridge at Bourg St. Andeol on the Rhone in 1840.

Visual representation and data visualization of the history of the Emperor Ferdinand Northern railway from the beginning of the operation on the 6th. of January 1838 to the end of the year 1853.

There are 2 years on every sheet, the horizontal scale is the timeline with the major events of the company like the opening of a new part of the track. There is a map of the rail network on every sheet for every year. The vertical scale are the revenues, from the bottom to the top income with passengers, from the top to the bottom income for transport of goods. In the lower right of every year you can see the number of locomotives, close to the center the number of the different wagons:1st class, 2nd class, 3rd class and freight wagons. As a data visualization this is very unusual in the amount of different kinds of data mixed together on one chart, over time. It is also very early for such an ambitious effort.

Use of a dot map to display epidemiological data, leads to discovery of the source of a cholera epidemic.

Discussion of standardization and classification of graphical methods at the Third International Statistical Congress

Exhibition display of graphs and cartograms. Third International Statistical Congress

Polar area charts, known as "coxcombs'' (used in a campaign to improve sanitary conditions of army)

The modern weather map, a chart showing area of similar air pressure and barometric changes by means of glyphs displayed on a map. These led to the discovery of the anti-cyclonic movement of wind around low-pressure areas

Invention of the trichromatic process for making color photographs, by taking three monochrome images through red, green and blue filters

Semilogarithmic grid (showing percentage changes in commodities)

Statistical diagrams used in a school textbook

Three-dimensional population surface or "stereogram,'' with axonometric projection to show curves of various "slices'' (sometimes known as a "Zeuner diagram)''

Minard's flow map graphic of Napoleon's March on Moscow (called "the best graphic ever produced)

The periodic table used to classify chemical elements according to their properties, and allowing the prediction of new elements that would be discovered later.

Election map of Paris, showing the breakdown of votes by parties

Congressional appropriation for graphical treatment of statistics

Use of statistical graphics by USA Government in census reports (cartograms of data from Ninth Census)

Classification of statistical graphical treatments by form, with consideration of appropriate uses of color, graphical elements, limitations of perception. At the 8th ISI meetings, St. Petersburg.

Recording of motion (of a running horse) by means of a set of glass-plate cameras, triggered by strings

Graphical methods applied to explain fundamental relations in thermodynamics; this includes diagrams of entropy vs. temperature (where work or heat is proportional to area), and the first use of trilinear coordinates (graphs of (x,y,z) where x+y+z=constant)

First-known use of a semi-graphic table to display a data table by shading levels

Age pyramid (bilateral histogram), bilateral frequency polygon, and the use of subdivided squares to show the division of population by two variables jointly (an early mosaic display) in the first true U.S. national statistical atlas

Population contour map (population density shown by contours), the first statistical use of a contour map

Two-variable color map (showing the joint distribution of horses (red, vertical bars) and cattle (green, horizontal bars) in Bavaria, widths of bars $sim$ animals/km$^2$)

Galton's first semi-graphic scatterplot and correlation diagram, of head size and height, from his notebook on Special Peculiarities

Lexis diagram, showing relations among age, calendar time, and life spans of individuals simultaneously (but the paternity of this diagram is in dispute cite{Vandeschrick:2001})

Galton's first illustration of the idea of correlation, using sizes of the seeds of mother and daughter plants

Galton's 1877 (hypothetical) machine for visualizing Bayesian inference using a prior distribution.

First use of proportional, divided square in the modern (mosaic) form for data representation

First use of polar diagrams and star plots for data representation

Extensive statistical study of 24,500 children to improve school practice; early ideas of correlation and regression by quoting the "measure of stoutness'', the ratio of annual increase in pounds weight to annual increase in inches height. Includes six charts, showing curvilinear regresions.

First attempt to survey, describe, and illustrate available graphic methods for experimental data

The term "graph'' introduced, referring to diagrams showing analogies between the chemical bonds in molecules and graphical representations of mathematical invariants (also coined the term "matrix'')

Stereogram (three-dimensional population pyramid) modeled on actual data (Swedish census, 1750--1875)

Published instructions on how to use graph paper

Album de Statistique Graphique, an annual series over 20 years, using all known graphic forms (map-based pies and stars, mosaic, line graphs, bar charts, and, of course, numerous flow maps) to depict data relevant to planning (railways, canals, ports, tramways, etc.) [This series, under the direction of Émile Cheysson, is regarded as the epitome of the "Golden Age of Statistical Graphics'']

Representation of logical propositions and relations diagrammatically. [Actually, Liebnitz and, to some degree, Euler had used such diagrams previously.]

Invention of precursor of motion-picture camera, recording a series of photographs to study fight of birds, running and walking

Statistical reasoning employed to create a new system of bodily measurement, specifically for identifying criminals

Patent issued on logarithmic paper (reported to the British Association for the Advancement of Science, in 1898). Also called "semi-log,'' "arith-log'' paper and "ratio charts''

Combination of many variables into multi-function nomograms, using 3D, juxtaposition of maps, parallel coordinate and hexagonal grids (L'Abaque Triomphe)

Pictogram, used to represent data by icons proportional to a number

Invention of the punched card for use in a machine to tabulate the USA Census (in 1890). Hollerith's company eventually became IBM

The first alignment diagrams, using sets of parallel axes, rather than axes at right angles; development of the essential ideas used in parallel coordinates plots. [Using the principle of duality from projective geometry, d'Ocagne (1885) showed that a point on a graph with Cartesian coordinates transformed into a line on an alignment chart, that a line transformed into a point, and, finally, that a family of lines or a surface transformed into a single line cite(Hankins:1999)]

A literary description of life in a two-dimensional world for people living in a 3D world. By analogy and extension, it suggests the possibile views of fourth and higher dimensions

Normal correlation surface and regression, the idea that in a bivariate normal distribution, contours of equal frequency formed concentric ellipses, with the regression line connecting points of vertical tangents

Comprehensive review of all available statistical graphics presented to the Statistical Society of London, classified as figures, maps, and solids (3D), perhaps the first mature attempt at a systematic classification of graphical forms

Graphic representation of a train schedule showing rate of travel along the route from Paris to Lyon. The method is attributed to the French engineer Ibry, but new evidence suggests that Lt. Sergeev had developed this method approximately 30 years earlier in Russia.

First anamorphic maps, using a deformation of spatial size to show a quantitative variable (e.g., the decrease in time to travel from Paris to various places in France over 200 years)

Street maps of London, showing poverty and wealth by color coding, transforming existing methods of social survey and poverty mapping towards the end of the nineteenth century

Social data, diagrams, including regional survey, incorporated in museum

First movie, with the cinématographe, using the principle of intermittent movement of film (16 fps), but producing smooth projection (first public film screening on December 28, 1895 at the Cafe Grand)

Use of area rectangles on a map to display two variables and their product (population of arrondisements in Paris, percent foreigners; area = absolute number of foreigners)

Idea for "log-square'' paper, ruled so that normal probability curve appears as a straight line