Dataviz was more-or-less invented in the back half of the 18th century by William Playfair, who was born in the village of Liff just outside Dundee.
If you’ve not read his Wikipedia entry, do. There’s murky spycraft, counterfeiting, extortion, propaganda, sibling rivalry, land speculation, a bank run, a debtor’s prison, and a cameo at the storming of the Bastille. Playfair’s life is among the most interesting ever lived, and what survives of him is charts. There’s a lesson in that.
In honour of Playfair, these are this week’s lines:
Email us your guesses for what those lines represent, remembering to put QUIZ in the subject line. One correct entry will be drawn at random for the prize of an exclusive FTAV quiz-winner T-shirt.
We usually name correspondents who get all the answers so if you don’t want that to happen, or would rather we use a pseudonym or whatever, be sure to tell us. The deadline for entries is Monday’s first light over the Bracken House roof garden and the judge’s decision is final.
