Five Data Visualizations That Changed History

You can tell someone important information using beaucoup numbers, but you're liable to put a lot of your audience to sleep. Showing people the relationship between those numbers without having to do even the simplest math is way more effective, and that's the value of graphs and charts. Presenting dry data in visual form can make a trend very clear when numbers don't, and sometimes those visualizations have an impact that changes the world. The Royal Society shows us how these charts and graphs made information available to many more people than would have otherwise learned of the data they contain. (via Kottke)