William Playfair (as the founder of graphical methods)

William Playfair was a pioneering economist and data visualization expert who, in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, invented early graphical tools like line, bar, and pie charts. His innovative methods transformed complex numerical data into visual formats, making trends and patterns much easier to understand. Playfair’s work laid the foundation for modern data visualization, helping people interpret information quickly and accurately across economics, trade, and statistics. His contributions revolutionized how information is communicated, making data more accessible and insightful for both specialists and the general public.