If people make history, then more history is being made now than in any century before 1990. In fact, over 28% of all history made since the birth of Christ was made in the 20th century.
Source: Angus Maddison, UN, The Economist
I discovered this graph via Twitter from Alan Kohler, who is a respected, if somewhat economically dry, Australian financial journalist and business editor amongst other things. He produces the Eureka Report
Am sure you could measure history in different ways, but the graph is stark.
mmm – growth in History is linked to improved education, ability to travel, and the increased complexity of economic systems and capitalism. Brilliant.
I like graphs but I cannot understand this one?
I prefer pie graphs, they look so tasty
What does ‘making history’ even mean?
Last time I checked time was a constant.
Does it mean ‘recording something’?
My interpretation is that this is showing the % increase in economic output and life expectancy in each century? Not sure I understand the graph.
looks like a giant spike in consumption of natural resources
Monty – where have you been. Surely you have read more widely than that.
Capitalists have been wrecking havoc with communities for much longer that oil has been available.
Peak oil happened 6 years ago and now we are on a slide down for many more reasons than just tapped dwindling energy sources.
The industrial revolution based on coal has also been destructive to our living space and that is a part of the mesh of forces forcing the economic decline.
Economies overshoot and correct and that is partly what the graph is showing – and still we hear from out business round table politicians the sacrifices need by people to have growth. Growth is the killer of sustainable existence. More becomes less.