200 years that changed the world

A perfect illustration of how a well-made graphic can aid in the comprehension of an intricate subject. I came across this clip on NPR.org's Planet Money column. It's the coolest YouTube clip I've seen in awhile, not counting the world's first DJ battle.



Once you've viewed the clip, go to the Gapminder website to play with the graph yourself, and to create or view others. Keep in mind, however, that historical data on these statistics, especially prior to 1900, is sometimes spotty and that many of these figures are estimates.