from e mail of Rajat Bhargav
http://www.visualizing.org/full-screen/264502 has a graphic on the global distribution of life expectancy at birth. I found the foot-note a bit more interesting
For effect (pun intended), look at the global population (even on a log scale it appears nearly vertical in recent history, i.e. after the industrial revolution) …
[I used data from census.gov]
Human population in the last 12000 years. The global population in the Neolithic period was fairly stable. The technological impact of metal tools really changed things after 4000 BC. Nothing compared to what powered machines did for us.
