Big stories, simple graphics
So, having seen this http://www.xkcd.com/657/ at the intarwebs (and had a good laugh at the "12 angry men" graph) I was reminded of this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Minard.png, which is of course an altogether different and frankly quite frightening graphic - but nevertheless the LoTR thing is along the lines.
From the first time I saw this I've found it startling how this visualization bring home the enormity of the thing, and so creates a highly emotional response (at least for me), despite being a "just the facts" thing itself.
From the first time I saw this I've found it startling how this visualization bring home the enormity of the thing, and so creates a highly emotional response (at least for me), despite being a "just the facts" thing itself.