People are often surprised to discover that I have a significant interest in history, from pre-history to the ancient world, the dark ages to the Renaissance, and of course the modern scientific era. Often, people think that an interest in history is somehow incompatible with an interest in the future.

It’s the other way around – you can’t understand the future without understanding the complex dynamics of the past. Moreover – study of the future and the past are linked by the scarcity of reliable data. Analysis and interpretation tend to be more important than raw data collection.

In that spirit, I propose this, a chart of world “GDP” from 1 A.D. to the current moment:

Simply note that throughout history, India and China have had the majority of economic activity on Earth. Note how Britain, despite its colonial force and powerful navy, never really dominated the world in terms of total economy. And see the miracle that is the United States – where did those guys come from?

When you consider data in long, broad strokes, you can ask more interesting questions, such as “Where do we go from here?”

And also, what the heck is GDP, anyway?

If you don’t at least appreciate history, you’re its prisoner.