100 Diagrams That Changed the World

by Scott Christianson

A collection of the most important ideas, theories, and concepts of all time

100 Diagrams That Changed the World is a fascinating collection of the most significant plans, sketches, drawings, and illustrations that have influenced and shaped the way we think about the world. From primitive cave paintings to Leonardo da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man to the complicated DNA helix drawn by Crick and Watson to the innovation of the iPod, they chart dramatic breakthroughs in our understanding of the world and its history. Arranged chronologically, each diagram is accompanied by informative text that makes even the most scientific breakthrough accessible to all. 

Beautifully illustrated in full color, this book will not only inform but also entertain as it demonstrates how the power of a single drawing can enhance, change or even revolutionize our understanding of the world. With its iconic images and powerful explanations, 100 Diagrams That Changed the World is perfect for readers of The History of the World in 100 Objects, and is the ideal gift for anyone interested in culture, history, science or technology. 
 

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Art, Science, Design, Education, Reference

224 pages, Hardcover

First published October 30, 2012

Reviews

[Philip · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well... "Diagrams" might not fit for all 100. Also, "That Changed the World" doesn't fit for all 100. All in all, though: not a bad book.

This was the first book of diagrams (or anything remotely like it) that we read for the Jordabecker Book Club. Fuzzy - the guy who picked it - is an artist, so he was (as usual) thinking outside the box.

(He's got some good stuff. You should check it out.)

...Wait a second... I can basically force you to check it out:



It was worth it. I know you feel the same way...

As for the book, there were a lot of interesting diagrams. A lot of the diagrams only loosely fit into the "diagram" category. I wouldn't have considered cave drawings , or triple spirals "diagrams." ...But then, I'm hardly an expert.

I did learn quite a bit. For instance, I loved what I learned about the Voynich Manuscript, having co-invented a fairly accessible, yet difficult code with my college roommate. (We have yet to meet someone who could break the code. ...Though most people simply don't have the time for our nonsense.) So, even if the Voynich Manuscript isn't technically a diagram, nor did it change the world, I'm glad I read about it.

Mostly, I was pleased to find topics I teach. My students write in Cuneiform with play dough. Check it out. We talk about the Ancient Egyptians while writing in Cuneiform... Seriously, if they learn one thing from our curriculum, it's Cuneiform.

So I was taken by the Assyrians, and Phonecians, and Egyptians, and the... well, you get the point.

Kyle, another Jordabecker Book Clubber made the comment, I wish it would have been the 50 Diagrams That Changed the World, or maybe the 25... and that they would have gone in depth a little bit more for each one.

I probably agree. Although, then it might not be as good of a coffee-table book as it is. (Now, if I just need to get a coffee table.)

[Rob Slaven · Rating 3 out of 5]

As is the usual preamble, I received this book as part of a GoodReads giveaway.

For most purposes this rather brief tome is serviceable as a coffee table book. Each entry is given one page devoted to the diagram with a half page of text to describe it. In general the author does a good job of choosing his topics and while most are already familiar to any individual of average erudition there are some new tidbits to be gleaned. As a book to be read from cover to cover it does become somewhat daunting because the author's text is often very brief and very high level and one can never quite settle into any particular topic before being shuffled off rather quickly to the next. The chronological ordering of the book is exactly what one would wish for in such a work and the full breadth of history has considered.

On the constructive side of my observations it seems evident that the author had some difficulty coming around to 100 'diagrams' for inclusion. Many of the entries can only marginally be called diagrams at all (or the diagrams are really only secondary to the significance of the achievement being documented) while others are of dubious significance to begin with. The idea that a sketch for the iPod should appear in a book alongside Copernicus and da Vinci is, in this reviewer's opinion, an affront to any reasonable view on how we could what is significant and what is not in the grand scale of history. Lastly in this vein the text at times seems rushed and perhaps suffers from over-editing. The chosen textual format is so short that no real background can be properly conveyed and the reader suffers a bit from whiplash.

In summary, this book would make a reasonable addition to the coffee table but cannot be considered for any serious reading. It would have been better served as a book containing half as many diagrams but with much expanded text.

[Ray Duncan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bought this book based on a mention by Maria on Brainpickings. Not particularly impressed with it. Most of the diagrams did not "change the world." Many have no any historical significance except as curiosities, such as the medieval manuscript written in as-yet-undeciphered code. The writing is uninteresting. I'd pass on this. Get Tufte's first book -- "The Visual Display of Quantitative Information" -- if you want a captivating book about diagrams and graphics.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Information design and Impact?
This book was MEANT for me.
And I indeed loved it.
Was also easy to read, as it came in 100 small and independent chunks.

[Katherine Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are a history buff, you will like this book. If you are a visual learner, you will like this book. If you are both, you will LOVE this book. It is exactly what the title implies, 100 miniessays centered around diagrams that had mega-impact. Each one is fascinating in its own right, and when lined up all together there is another layer of insight: you can see some ways in which our visualization of new ideas has shifted over the centuries, and, importantly, how in many other ways, the power of a simple sketch is remarkably constant, from the Chauvet cave drawings to the initial iPod design.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Taken me a while to finish, but loved it - ESP those that are purely innovations in visual display, not secondary, like the first bar chart and the history map and Florence Nightingale's rose chart and my fav Taccola's first exploded view. Loved Micrographia and by innovation the first bacteria; really so much in here! But gee, could have been double in size. Type is smaller than the Times and captions done in light grey. Double size images would be better too.

[Matt · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is a mess. First of all, 100 Diagrams That Changed the World is a misleading title. It seems like Scott Christianson meant something more like 100 Important Things and more often than not the "diagram" he included (if it even can properly be called a diagram) was not what changed the world.
For example:
1. Ancient architectural columns
2. Musical notation
3. Acupuncture
4. The Rosetta Stone
5. Dante's Divine Comedy
6. Newton's Optics
7. The machine gun
8. Darwin's theory of evoluton (Christianson includes a sketch from one of Darwin's diaries so he can include this in the book - this one is one of the biggest stretches of the idea of a "diagram" changing t
he world)
9. ARPANET
10. The Apple computer (the diagram just shows the outside - it's basically a picture of a keyboard!)
I'll stop at ten, but I could go on.
Furthermore, a number of entries were not even "things" (never mind diagrams!) that changed the world. Did cave drawings, Neolithic spirals in Ireland, Nazca lines, the Pioneer Plaque (no aliens have read it yet, as far as we know), or the iPod change the world? I don't think so. (My argument against the iPod is as follows: personal music players shifted very quickly to devices that made use of WiFi rather than storage on the device itself. Perhaps I'm wrong. Either way, I think it is obvious that the other entries did not "change the world".)

In addition, multiple instances of poor editing jumped out at me. The Pythagorean Theorem is stated incorrectly. Christianson writes, "The square of the hypotenuse (the longest side) of a right triangle equals the sum of the other two sides." But he should say, "...equals the sum of the squares of the other two sides."
The section on Volta's battery says he used zinc and silver in the text, but the caption says Volta used zinc and copper.
In the entry about IKEA, Ingvar Kamprad (IKEA's founder) is not mentioned by name until he is referred to by last name only. After almost three paragraphs discussing Gillis Lundgren (one of IKEA's first employees), Christianson says, "IKEA expanded its approach into other products as well, making the company hugely successful and launching Kamprad to become one of the world's richest men." I assume an earlier draft included more information about Kamprad, but if I had not gone online to look for the information, I would not have known his first name, that he was the company founder, or why Gillis Lundgren had helped make him rich.
I was not combing through the book looking for mistakes. These three jumped out at me. I'm sure there are more I missed.

It is a mystery to me how this book got published. Its contents do not match the title. Its poorly written and poorly edited. Seriously, who is responsible for this disaster?

[Gabe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lovely illustrations and concise descriptions - almost too concise. I could have used more explanation for some of the more complicated concepts. I'm not sure about the selection of some of the items - does a relief sculpture really count as a "diagram"? Does an atlas of London really count as having changed the world?

[Jenn · Rating 2 out of 5]

The diagrams are great, the writing is not.

[Andy Gagnon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an engineer's dream and a reminder that sketching something on paper is a powerful tool.

[Robert Koslowsky · Rating 4 out of 5]

One Hundred Diagrams is my kind of “synopsis,” a book that features 100 diagrams that aided in the evolution of both our culture and our technology. I resonated with Scott Christianson’s summaries as they touch on two of the three themes I explored in my 2004 work, A World Perspective through 21st Century Eyes.

These two themes included society's cultural evolution through the centuries and our first steps in the technological evolution of the most recent decades. Like me, Christianson covers ancient Greek, Roman, and Inca civilizations with a number of diagrams. With respect to humanity's biological evolution over the millennia, the third theme I explored, Christianson gives a nod to Watson & Crick for their seminal drawing showing the structure of human DNA.

I liked much of the later-era diagrams he presented, such as Volta’s battery. As I noted in A World Perspective, the new science of electricity appeared with this new energy-producing tool, forever changing the lives of individuals, and hence their society. The science of chemistry matured with its newfound language and 'states of matter' to find immediate impact with people's personal and working lives. Dmitri Mendeleev’s periodic table is one of the “100 diagrams” too.

Biology, we know, evolved from a static plant and animal classification to a dynamic field of inquiry, jump-started by Charles Darwin's groundbreaking work. Christianson provides ample back story with the diagrams he unearthed related to Darwin’s theory and more.

Pick up One Hundred Diagrams and enjoy the quick read. I think it provides great background before reading A World Perspective next.

Keep on reading!

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not just for history buffs, the pages of 100 Diagrams prove that great achievements have humble, human beginings, often etched out by hand with a series of simple shapes. The drawings range widely in beauty, whimsy and mathematical precision. Christianson aptly illustrates where art and science have served as catalysts for each other throughout history, and he does it through telling the stories of the individuals involved. He also includes the big-picture implications of what these diagrams meant to all of humanity, such as the Brooks slave ship, which "seemed to make an instantaneous impression of horror upon all who saw it."

The fact that the first workable machine gun was concieved by an English lawyer, that emoticons were first used as typographical symbols in an American magazine in 1881, and that the first iconic double-helix diagram we use today was rendered by an accordion-playing woman will now add to my understanding of how we got here, but 100 Diagrams leaves something to be desired when it comes to modern innovations. For instance, Steve Jobs is given two entries, one for the Apple Computer and one for the iPod, but Bill Gates is not mentioned once. Although DNA discovery is covered, there is no further discussion of modern advances in genetics. Robotics is also absent. As wonderful as it is to have so many hallmarks in one digestible book, it would serve well to show just how much the diagrams and ideas have accelerated during our present century.

[Erikka · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was good, not great, but good. The diagrams selected are interesting, but the value of several I would call subjective (others, most in fact, are inarguably vital to our existence). Also, some aren’t really “diagrams” at all, like the Nazca Lines or Triple Spirals. I loved the high quality photos that let me really look at the artifacts and learn about them, but the text was very dry and I found myself getting distracted by the images. But it’s fine, probably a good toilet book.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Many other reviews have said what I'll say. I'm not sure all of these diagrams have changed the world, there are some that have and others that are just important from a historical context. I enjoyed the quick description of each of the diagrams but found myself wanting more and wanting a better grasp of the bigger picture.

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't know if these diagrams changed the world, bu this is an interesting book about diagrams that are meaningful in history. The book is an enjoyable read, and I learned a lot from reading it. The book also provided impetus to look into further into the diagrams in the book.

[Brian Kramp · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've always loved a good diagram. I got this from the library, and appreciated it so much I bought a copy. I always thought that history needed to be more visual, and this is a way to get that.
I like that the chronological order helped me think how an invention built off the prior ones.

[Oliver Bogler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cool book that lends itself to a quick read for that odd moment in your day. Of particular interest to visual learners who like diagrams.

[Yokusun Basi]

100 Diagrams That Changed The World by Scott Christianson (2014)

[Jack · Rating 2 out of 5]

Worth picking up from a library and leafing through, but it sucks off Apple far too much and is limited by its broad scope.

[Richard · Rating 2 out of 5]

I expected to like this book a lot more than I did. The premise is interesting, as is much of the content. But there was a lot in this book that could have been better.

First, the font. Each diagram has a one or two sentence introduction. The font is in light gray, making it very difficult to read without much brighter lighting than I usually require. It's almost as if the publisher doesn't expect the reader to read the semi-hidden text.

Second, I'd say some of these diagrams didn't really change the world. The Nazca Lines are interesting, but to this day no one knows what they mean. So how is that world changing? I could cite a few other examples.

Third, and more importantly, the author sometimes doesn't do a very good job at explaining the diagrams themselves. For example, The Porphyrian Tree has 18 1- or 2-word nodes in Latin. Would it have been too much for the author to translate those so the reader gets a better idea of what the diagram is saying? I realize each diagram is allotted only a few short paragraphs, but I think the author could have been more informative within the constraints of the format of the book.

The author's focus seems to shift between presenting diagrams that changed the word and illustrations of events that changed the world. As an example of the latter, he includes a map of Chernobyl's radioactive fallout. While the Chernobyl disaster clearly changed the world, I'm not convinced that the map itself was a key element. Maybe I'm being a little nit-picky here, but it just leaves me wondering what was the criteria for selecting the diagrams for this book? If Chernobyl's fallout map is included, why not the map of the D-Day invasion, for example? Just wondering.

A few of the author's opinions are historically suspect. On the Vostok 1 page, he asserts that Sergei Korolev's death in 1966 was the reason that the US beat the USSR in the race to the moon. Such a statement begs for some substantiation, something the book's format doesn't permit.

An interesting footnote: The ARPANET and World Wide Web pages don't mention Al Gore's contribution.

It might sound like I didn't like this book at all. That's not the case. Mostly, the diagrams are well-chosen and the short descriptions often synopsize the diagrams and their context well, given the format limitations. But for me, it became a chore to finish this book. And I generally like reading history. So, I had to rate it only 2 stars.

[Juliana · Rating 4 out of 5]

As an Infographic nut I love this wonderful little book, Scott Christianson's 100 Diagrams That Changed the World . Each diagram includes a photo or reproduction starting with the Cave Drawings done 30,000 years ago in France all the way to a diagram of the iPod. In between you'd be quite surprised to learn that the first bar chart was created by William Playfair in 1786 (or at least I was). Or that the first exploded view diagram was created by Mariano Taccola way back around 1450.

I was very pleased to find not only the expected entries by da Vinci and Descartes, but a diagram from my personal hero Ben Franklin for his bifocals. I was surprised to learn that Bacteria was first diagramed by Leeuwenhoek back in 1683. 1683! There are some interesting call-outs like for Ikea's Flat-Pack Furniture (1956) which makes me want to curse when I read it, and even Carl Sagan's Pioneer Placque which shipped out into space in 1972.

My only beef with this book lays in the design itself. Seriously--what is up lately with graphic designers not being able to design for print? Each entry has a couple introductory sentences which are printed in such a light gray as to be unreadable in the evening by a person over their forties. It has to be readable folks! That is the point!

[Cynthia Corral · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was really disappointed in this book and just can't give it more than 3 stars.
My review is basically what everyone else is saying:

First, a great many of these "diagrams" did little to nothing to change the world. 100 "most interesting" diagrams might have been a better title.

Second, not enough information about each "diagram". I liked the concept of two pages for each subject: one for the picture, one for information. But the information pages were not always very informational. Each page contains the NAME, then a summary in a font color so light that with or without my glasses I had to hold the book up to my nose to read it (WHO OKAYED THIS FONT COLOR???). Then on average only half the page is spent on the information - not enough room to explain some of these things. And finally up to a third of the page is left blank for a little blurb that describes the diagram... really just a summary of the summary.

All of this on a single page: Title, Summary of information, Information, Summarized Summary. It's wasted space instead of enough info.

For some of these things, even if the object changed the world, the diagram did not. Drawings of an iPhone or the old Apple computer did not change the world. Diagrams of the insides of the iPhone or original Apple would have been more appropriate.

I did learn two things:

1. Emoticons have been around since 1881!
2. Flat-pack furniture was invented by Gillis Lundgren for IKEA in 1956.

The rest of the book, Meh. An amazing concept that was wasted.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

100 Diagrams That Changed the World: From the Earliest Cave Paintings to the Innovation of the iPod.  Scott Christianson. Plume, 2012. 224 pages.

This is one of those books that you keep on a coffee table or side table, or, dare I say it, in a bathroom. Author Scott Christianson has assembled in chronological order what he considers the 100 most important and influential "diagrams" in world history, from primitive cave paintings to Leonardo da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man to the complicated DNA helix drawn by Crick and Watson to the innovation of the iPod. Each diagram is reproduced in full color and accompanied by a one-page history and explanation of its legacy and impact.  It's entertaining and informative, and the reader can either read it through or dip in and out. The average reader will be familiar with some of the objects, but even the most knowledgeable readers can find something that is new and enlightening to them. It's ideal for people who have interests in science, technology, history, culture, engineering, and innovation.

[Gavin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good review of the development of modern society and scientific thought via influential diagrams. The chosen figures were indeed powerful and immensely thought-provoking (the human history!), but in my opinion the book had a great opportunity to make an even more powerful statement but fell a bit short due to vague descriptions and poor (miniscule) typefacing. Curt, iffy English also abounded: "a smaller part of [the Rosetta Stone's] lower right corner was missing, so some of the carved text had gone." and "closer examination of the area has revealed no less than 900 immense geoglyphs."

Coffee table worthy, but barely.

[Adam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Big thanks to Bryan for buying this book I saw in NYC. The illustrations are great and they lead to lots of good thinking about the connections in history, the march of technology, etc. Very cool for that, and learned some good stuff (bikes were only invented 20 years before the automobile, and not until AFTER the Civil War. Amazing)

But the writing is very odd. Just seems kinda translated poorly, and cribbed from a variety of sources. Still glad I read it.

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun take on a history book. It was difficult to read this straight through, but would be very enjoyable as something to leaf through casually or read over a period of a few weeks.

Reading in that manner, the essays are perfect in size, not too much information to bog the reader down, but enough to give them a quick understanding of the diagram or drawing on the opposite page.

My favorites were probably the flushable toilet, the machine gun, and probably the musical notation. Good stuff.

[Claire · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really fun. Diagrams of pivotal inventions throughout history. Some will surprise, the choices are arbitrary after all. We found ourselves laughing out loud and showing each other pages. It gets you thinking about the amazing inventions around us and the creativity we take for granted. The epitome coffee table book; I think it would be a great conversation starter.

[Mr. V. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable to flip through and examine what choices were included here. Brought back lots of memories of images in textbooks in school that I never understood. Writing amounts to museum text panels, sometimes a little too dense. Great resource to have on hand and great intro to major developments in science through the ages.

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book trades depth for breadth. Somehow, it doesn't even have breadth, however. I feel like one would need 250 Diagrams that Changed the World in order to justify the lack of detail on each one. I got the feeling that a lot was missing in scope, and also in detail.

That said, I realized that I was secretly enjoying it. Might I suggest putting it by the toilet?

[Meg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Won this book from Goodreads giveaway. It was delivered quickly and I started looking through it right away.

Love this book. It's beautiful and interesting. I really recommend getting a copy! Great coffee table book.