Charles Joseph Minard
| Charles Joseph Minard | |
|---|---|
| Born | 27 March 1781 Dijon, France |
| Died | 24 October 1870 (aged 89) Bordeaux, France |
| Fields | Civil engineering and information graphics |
| Alma mater | École Polytechnique |
| Known for | Carte figurative des pertes successives en hommes de l'Armée Française dans la campagne de Russie 1812-1813' |
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Charles Joseph Minard (French: [minaʁ]; 27 March 1781 – 24 October 1870) was a French civil engineer recognized for his significant contribution in the field of information graphics in civil engineering and statistics. Minard was, among other things, noted for his representation of numerical data on geographic maps.
Minard was born in Dijon in the Saint Michel Parish. He was the son of Pierre Etienne Minard and Bénigne Boiteux. His father was a clerk of the court and an officer of the secondary school. Minard was baptized at Saint Michel on the day of his birth. He was very bright and his father encouraged him to study at an early age. At age four he learned to read and to write, and when he was six his father enrolled him an elementary course in anatomy. He completed his fourth year of study at the secondary school at Dijon early, and then applied himself to studying Latin, literature, and physical and math sciences. At age 15 and a half, he was admitted to the prestigious École Polytechnique, and then he studied civil engineering at École nationale des ponts et chaussées.
In September 1810 he was sent by the government to Antwerp and then almost immediately to the port of Flessingue. There, he solved a critical problem with a cofferdam that was leaking water faster than it could be removed. He solved the problem by using pumps driven by a steam engine, only the third time this solution had been applied to a project.
He worked for many years as a civil engineer on the construction of dams, canals and bridge projects throughout Europe. On November 1, 1830, he was named superintendent of the School of Bridges and Roads, where he continued to serve through 1836. While there he was awarded the cross of the Legion of Honor. He then became inspector of the Corps of Bridges until he retired in 1851, after which he dedicated himself to private research.
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