The Best Statistical Graphic

French engineer, Charles Minard's (1781-1870) illustration of Napoleon's failed Russian campaign of 1812 is considered the best statistical graphic ever drawn by most experts. It is clean and informative. The graph is actually drawn on the map which automatically conveys the geographic information.

The maps starts at the left on the Polish-Russian border near the Niemen and streches to Moscow on the right edge. The size of the army is represented by the width of the band across the map of the campaign on its outward and return legs, with temperature and timeline shown on the line graph at the bottom. The army of 422,000 men is reduced to 100,000 when it reached Moscow. The path of Napoleon's retreat from Moscow in the cold winter is depicted by the dark lower band, which is tied to temperature and time scales. Only 10,000 managed to survive the campaign. Minard's graphic tells a rich story with a clean and simple diagram that plots 6 variables: the size of the army, its location, direction of the movement, temperature and dates. You can click on the image to enlarge it.