All Hail Histomap: 4000 Years Of History In A Single Poster

All Hail Histomap: 4000 Years Of History In A Single Poster

What if you could capture the entire history of recorded human existence into one epic infographic for the ages? Crazy, right? Back in the 1930s, a man named John B. Sparks tried — and The Vault recently dug up his attempt. It’s called the Histomap, and it’s still incredible nearly 100 years later, if just slightly out of date.

Initially published by Rand McNally in 1931, the Histomap took the form of a five-foot-long poster folded down into a relatively normal-sized envelope and sold for a dollar, or $12.40 in today’s money. The Vault dug up an image of the envelope, and the pitch written on the outside pretty much speaks for itself.

Clear, vivid and shorn of elaboration HISTOMAP holds you enthralled as you follow the curves of power down time’s endless course…..HERE IS THE ACTUAL PICTURE OF THE MARCH OF CIVILISATION from the mud huts of the ancients to the monarchistic of the middle ages to the living panorama of life in everyday America.

Sounds thrilling, right?

The clearly labelled vertical axis shows the steady march of time, but the horizontal axis’ display of power is less cut and dried. And while we’re at it, the very 1930’s characterisation of different racial and cultural groups comes off as a little…dated.

But caveats aside, the careful visualisation of 4000 years of human history is still damned impressive to behold. Maybe even moreso because it manages to capture a snapshot of the 1930s as well.

So who’s working on this year’s version? [The Vault]

You can find a freakin’ massive, fully-zoomable image of the Histomap here.

All Hail Histomap: 4000 Years Of History In A Single Poster


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