File:Minard.png

Summary
Gráfico de Charles Joseph Minard sobre a sobre a marcha de Napoleão sobre a Russia, 1861.

Um exemplo pioneiro de como muita informação pode ser sintetizada para se tornar mais inteligível.

Nesse gráfico há quatro variáveis diferentes que contribuem para demonstrar o fracasso da campanha:


 * A distância e direção que percorreram
 * A altitude que as tropas atravessaram
 * A variação no tamanho do exército a medida que as tropas morriam de fome e dos ferimentos.
 * As baixas temperaturas que enfrentaram

Autor: Charles Joseph Minard

Summary (EN)
This map by Charles Joseph Minard (1781–1870), published in 1861, shows the advance of Napoleon's Grande Armée into Russia in 1812.

The thickness of the line indicates the strength of the army, with numbers indicating strength at critical points.

From left to right : the thickest line on top is the army crossing the river with 422,000 men, advancing into Russian territory and stopping in Moscow with just 100,000 men. From right to left, returning west, and crossing back on river Niemen with 10,000. The numbers may go down or up, as the army joins with reserves (e.g. before river Berezina).

The scale is shown on the center-right, in "lieues communes de France" (common French league) worth 4,444m (2.75 miles).

The lower portion of the graph is to be read from right to left. It shows the temperature on the army's return from Russia, in degrees below freezing on the Réaumur scale. (Multiply Réaumur temperatures by 1¼ to get Celsius, e.g. &minus;30°R = &minus;37.5 °C)]] On Smolensk, the temperature was &minus;21° Réaumur on November 14th.

Licensing
Licencia: Dominio Público