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- Cereal yields over time
Cereal yields over time
Our World in Data's line chart drew 34.3K views on X: 1.2x its typical post and #65 of 139 Our World in Data charts we track by views. Read Oct 10, 2026.
Rising yields, falling hunger, The Agricultural Revolution, the transition from hunting and gathering to farming, didn’t end hunger. That’s because more food didn’t mean more per person: it meant more people.
Why it spread
This post spread because it paired a clear line chart of rising cereal yields in England and globally with a self explaining narrative about the Agricultural Revolution and Malthus, earning 243 likes, 80 reposts, 9 quotes, 40 saves and 34,273 views from an independent author with high self labelling and a visible source line.
What worked
- The chart type is a line chart that shows cereal yields in England and globally rising sharply, which matches the post text about rising yields and falling hunger.
- The post explains itself with high self labelling and a visible source line, so viewers can understand the claim without extra context.
- The account is an independent author in data journalism with top quarter source reach and an above average quote rate, which helped the post travel beyond its own followers.
What to borrow
We could use the same form by pairing one of our own line charts with a short self explaining caption that names the trend, the place and the time period, and by always including a visible source line.
Careful
Do not copy the exact Malthus framing or assume the same numbers will apply to our data, and do not over read the 9 quotes or 40 saves as proof of deep engagement without more context.
Written by our analysis model from the measured numbers above, not by Our World in Data.
Make it yours
Your numbers, in this line chart.
Starts from the real numbers of "Cereal yields in England and globally" by Our World in Data. Replace every number with yours before you post. Make one like this, step by step
Free pictures carry a small "Made with ViralChart" line. That line is how other people find us.
API · Max
Use this chart via API
On the Max plan you can pull this chart's numbers with the provenance of each one, as JSON or CSV, with its redraw spec, or call it from an agent over MCP. Chart id 6d1632a2bfe8.
| Path | Returns | Plan | |
|---|---|---|---|
| GET | /api/v1/charts/6d1632a2bfe8 | Title, publisher, date, form, point count; with a Max key, the data link | Open |
| GET | /api/v1/charts/6d1632a2bfe8/data | Every point with its provenance and confidence, plus the redraw spec. Add ?format=csv for CSV | Max |
| GET | /api/v1/charts/6d1632a2bfe8/render?view=1 | The draw-only view this page uses | Open |
| POST | /mcp | Tool get_chart_data with this id, for Claude, Cursor and other agents | Max |
curl -s https://viral-chart.com/api/v1/charts/6d1632a2bfe8/data \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $VIRALCHART_KEY"claude mcp add --transport http viralchart https://viral-chart.com/mcp \
--header "Authorization: Bearer $VIRALCHART_KEY"60 requests a minute per key; over that you get 429 with Retry-After. Up to 5 keys per account, made on your account page and shown once. Without Max, the data route answers 402 with a link to the plans. The numbers describe a chart its publisher owns, and every file carries a license note.
More from Our World in Data
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Questions people ask
How far did Our World in Data's "Cereal yields over time" chart travel?
34,273 views, 243 likes, 80 reposts and 40 saves on X, read Oct 10, 2026. A normal post from @OurWorldInData gets about 28.6K views.
What kind of chart is it?
A line chart. Cereal yields in England and globally have risen sharply.
Can I use Our World in Data's chart?
Use the format, not the picture. The chart, logo and design belong to Our World in Data. ViralChart redraws the chart type with your numbers and words, and credits the original publisher.