Joseph priestley biography summary graphic organizer

"First edition of Priestley's vast visual presentation of historical personages, charting over 2, individuals from BCE to CE. "Joseph Priestley's Chart of Biography was one of the most consequential information graphics of the eighteenth century.

Chart of Biography - University of Oregon

A marvel of clarity and efficiency, it was also a strikingly new kind of visual design, carrying messages about both history and method" (University of Oregon, "The Time Charts of Joseph Priestley", accessible online). Priestley's chronological chart was the inspiration for William Playfair's bar chart. Priestley produced the chart to supplement his teaching of history at the Warrington Academy.

The emphasis of the chart was a systematic, scientific approach to history. He later produced a further New Chart of History ( ) and accompanying descriptive books to supplement the charts. "These graphic time line representations of the span of life of major historical figures or of empires were popular for the rest of the