Timeline Chart

The 18th-century British polymath, Joseph Priestley (1733-1804), the discoverer of oxygen, pioneered the first timeline charts in 1765, using individual bars to visualize a person's lifespan and compare multiple lifespans. These timelines became commercially successful and widely popular, going through numerous editions.

A Chart of Biography (click for enlarged view or check higher resolutions)

The Chart of Biography covers a vast timespan, from 1200 BC to 1800 AD, and includes two thousand names. Priestley organized his list into six categories: Statesman and Warriors; Divines and Metaphysicians; Mathematicians and Physicians (natural philosophers were placed here); Poets and Artists; Orators and Critics (prose fiction authors were placed here); and Historians and Antiquarians (lawyers were placed here). Priestley's "principle of selection" was fame, not merit; therefore, as he mentions, the chart is a reflection of current opinion.

The Chart of Biography & A New Chart of History. The trustees of Warrington were so impressed with Priestley's lectures and charts that they arranged for the University of Edinburgh to grant him a Doctor of Law degree in 1764.

Priestley’s innovation directly influenced William Playfair (1759-1823), who later invented the bar chart, which debuted in his Commercial and Political Atlas in 1786. Playfair also introduced the line, area, pie charts, and circle graphs.