Old School, Hand-Made Infographics.

In our daily search for all things cool, interesting and informative, we've been running into a lot of infographics lately – they seem to be all the craze these days. And why not? A well-made infographic can communicate and accomplish so much, so quickly – much like a well-crafted print ad or TV spot. And if done right, the best ones pack a serious punch.

Of course, with all our access to technology these days, one can easily take such things for granted. So how about a little perspective?

Here, hand-drawn by W.E.B DuBois's sociology students in 1900, is one of many charts depicting the plight of African-Americans after the Civil War:

From the 'distribution of rain and snow' to the 'distribution and variety of the human race,' here's a world map 'shewing' what it was like in 1854: