The History of Information

History, as it is often taught, is a list of kings and queens and treaties and events. It presents the what and when, but it rarely asks why.

Why is it that we had kings and queens at all?

Why then all of a sudden did we abandon them and shift to democracies?

Why did the world’s religions rise around the same time?

Why is society dominated by men?

The answers all come down to the same thing: information. The striving to share information, and – at the same time – the striving to undermine it, explains so much of today’s world and connects so many seemingly unconnected things: the rise of religions, states, science, democracy, the west, militarism, racism, fascism, consumerism, big tech, polarization, and AI.

This history of information is closely connected to the history of visual communication – and as these two are largely the same – it makes sense to tell this story visually: a history of graphics told through graphics. The History of Information, through a mix of timelines, graphics, and illustrations, clearly breaks down and explains each concept for children and adults alike.