A picture is a worth a thousand words.

Recently I read an excellent article titled “Worth a thousand words” in the magazine Economist, Dated Dec 19th 2007. on Charts and Graphic presentation of quantitative information . I was truly amazed at how charts and good graphics can be very effective as persuasive tools to change even some well entrenched policies. What makes it more interesting is that these charts were drawn in the 19th century and one even dating back to the year 1821!

And one of them was drawn by Ms. Florence Nightingale! Yes, you heard it right. None other than the Lady of the Lamp, mother of modern nursing. She prepared one of these innovative charts titled “Diagram of the causes of Mortality in the Army in the East”. The article goes on to say that she was an accomplished statistician as much as she was a compassionate and competent medical professional. It is evident tha she used her statistics to great effect. For she was instrumental in setting up a royal commission of inquiry into sanitary conditions during the Crimean war.

There was this other chart by Charles Joseph Minard drawn in 1861, giving gruesome details of Napolean’s Russian Campaign in 1812. To quote the article “it inspires bitter reflections on the cost to humanity of the madnesses of conquerors and the merciless thirst of military glory”.

I wish we have some modern day Nightingale or Minard to make the case for the casualities in Iraq.

While charts made by Google Spreadsheets (in its present state) may not match the one made by Mr. Minard, it sures serves everyday business. Here you can see some sample charts made with Googe Spreadsheets

What do you think?