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This year, our visual stories covered a range of subjects: artificial intelligence, war in Ukraine and Gaza, the transition to cleaner energy, natural disasters and the 50th anniversary of hip-hop. 2023: The Year in Visual Stories and Graphics.

By The New York Times

January

An annotated image of a semi-automatic Cobray pistol labels a carrying strap and tap that is wrapped around the suppressor.
What We Know About the Gun Used in the Monterey Park ShootingThe Gun Used in the Monterey Park Shooting
Scenes from films and music videos in which characters are dancing on or near stairs.
Dancing With the StairsDancing With the Stairs
A video of a timeline showing images tweeted by Elon Musk from 2012 through the end of 2022, in which there is an increase in images shared starting in 2018 and nearly half of those are memes. Example tweets are highlighted.
Dissecting Elon Musk’s Tweets: Memes, Rants, Private Parts and an Echo Chamber Dissecting Elon Musk’s Tweets “After Elon Musk bought Twitter in November 2022, there was a real sense of urgency to save as many tweets as possible. You didn’t really know what could happen the next day. After going through the data, we decided to start looking into Musk’s own tweets, and specifically into his use of memes. I immersed myself in his Twitter account. I downloaded all the images he ever posted and built software to categorize them. I even wrote a bot that replicated his timeline, to get a feel for his reading habits. When he entered the Twitter offices carrying a sink, we found the joke stale — he had posted the same meme two years earlier.” — Martín González Gómez
A full-body photo of three N.F.L. players with a red graphic overlay circling their hands or feet.
Six N.F.L. Players Show Football’s Grind on Their Feet and HandsSix N.F.L. Players Show Football’s Grind
A multicolored grid of boxes showing how every representative voted and who the lawmakers voted for.
Vote Count: McCarthy Elected House Speaker After 15 BallotsVote Count: McCarthy Elected House Speaker After 15 Ballots

February

An edited headline with the Number 22 crossed out that now reads “Brady Retires After 23 Years.”
Tom Brady Retires: The Revised EditionTom Brady Retires: The Revised Edition
Black and white illustrations of 21 academic scholars.
In China’s Covid Fog, Deaths of Scholars Offer a ClueIn China’s Covid Fog, Deaths of Scholars Offer a Clue
A still from body camera footage showing Tyre Nichols’s car and labels over three police officers.
Officers Manhandled and Beat Tyre Nichols. We Tracked Each One’s Role.Officers Manhandled and Beat Tyre Nichols
Headshots of House Republicans are arranged on a scale with some headshots highlighted.
A Close Look at the Chaotic House Republican MajorityA Close Look at the Chaotic House Republican Majority
Video clips show various steps in the process of making dollar bills — metal plates with the images of dollars are polished, sheets of currency roll off the presses, and bills are inspected.
How to Print Money How to Print Money “This series offers a look behind the curtain at how things in the federal government work — from manufacturing artillery to preserving documents to printing the cash we exchange every day. Marisa Schwartz Taylor, a photo editor in the Washington bureau, and I worked with the format in mind at every step — storyboarding before photos and videos were shot, finessing a tight edit on words and visuals, and creating a design that made the entire process clear to our readers.” — Rebecca Lieberman
A satellite image highlights buildings that showed clear signs of damage or destruction. Two overlaid satellite images show a stadium with tent structures and a row of collapsed apartment buildings.
What the Earthquake Destroyed in the Heart of One Turkish CityWhat the Turkey Earthquake Destroyed
Photographs showing a play from the Super Bowl that transition into a 3-D scene showing a player from the Philadelphia Eagles diving towards a Kansas City Chiefs player.
See How Kansas City Secured Its Comeback With a 65-Yard Punt ReturnSee Kansas City’s 65-Yard Punt Return
Animation with illustrations of objects found in the sky between about 120,000 and 100,000 feet above sea level, including illustrations of a scientific research balloon and several weather balloons.
Spy Balloons. U.F.O.s. What Else Is Up There?Spy Balloons. U.F.O.s. What Else Is Up There?
Video showing A.I. software filling in the blanks to a phrase that begins “LeBron James is an...” The top suggestion for the next two words are “American” and “professional.”
How ChatGPT Could Embed a ‘Watermark’ in the Text It GeneratesHow ChatGPT Could ‘Watermark’ Its Text
A world map in which each country is a circle and most circles are blue, some are yellow and a few are red.
The West Tried to Isolate Russia. It Didn’t Work.The West Tried to Isolate Russia. It Didn’t Work.

March

A 3-D model shows Notre Dame's interior and its soaring Gothic architecture.
The Quest to Restore Notre Dame’s Glorious Sound The Quest to Restore Notre Dame’s Glorious Sound “This may be a ‘visual stories’ page, but producing a story where sound was a key part of the experience was really special. We were able to simulate a choir performing in Notre Dame with 3-D sound, using acoustic measurements called “ambisonic impulse responses.” A team of acoustic researchers had collected these impulse responses before the fire, by going to different locations in Notre Dame and making a very loud sound, like popping a balloon, and recording it using a sphere of microphones.” — Malika Khurana
Four film scenes highlighting actors: Pat Morita in “The Karate Kid”; Michelle Yeoh in “Everything Everywhere All at Once”; Ken Watanabe in “The Last Samurai”; and Yuh-Jung Youn in “Minari.”
Asian Actors Have Been Underrepresented at the Oscars For Decades. Here’s the History.Asian Actors Have Been Underrepresented at the Oscars
Two maps of the same neighborhoods in Brooklyn, side by side. In the first map, the neighborhoods are filled in shades of blue, and in the second, many of those neighborhoods are filled in red.
Where New York’s Asian Neighborhoods Shifted to the RightWhere New York’s Asian Neighborhoods Shifted Right
A map of the Earth with dots showing the locations of satellite images identifying a spy balloon. A dotted orange line connects these dots, showing the approximate path of the balloon as it traveled eastward.
Tracking the Chinese Balloon From SpaceTracking the Chinese Balloon From Space
A video showing a 25-story building in Manhattan and beginning to explain why converting this office building into apartments could be challenging.
Here’s How to Solve a 25-Story Rubik’s CubeHere’s How to Solve a 25-Story Rubik’s Cube
Opinion
Illustration of geometric shapes with different colors and patterns stacked on top of one another.
Build Your Own College RankingsBuild Your Own College Rankings
Detailed satellite imagery showing collapsed buildings in Antakya.
Thousands of Buildings Collapsed in One Turkish City. Thousands More May Have to Come Down.Thousands of Buildings Collapsed in One Turkish City
Animation showing the flow of atmospheric water vapor from March 12 to March 22 over the western United States and Canada.
Track the Latest Atmospheric River to Hit CaliforniaTrack the Latest Atmospheric River to Hit California
Cells from a data table with blue and orange colors highlighting different values.
N.C.A.A. Bracket Picks: Where Fans and Experts DivergeN.C.A.A. Bracket Picks: Fans and Experts Diverge
An image of a in-tact corner building is overlaid on top of the rubble of the same building. A label reads: “Building facade before quakes.”
See One Historic Turkish Street Before and After the EarthquakesOne Historic Turkish Street Before and After the Quakes

April

A collection of photos of abortion pill kits.
Inside the Online Market for Overseas Abortion Pills Inside the Online Market for Overseas Abortion Pills “We knew that thousands of people in states that banned abortion had been able to terminate unwanted pregnancies by ordering abortion pills online. But we knew little about how this market worked. To find out, I placed orders with four overseas pharmacies to see how much the pills would cost, how quickly they would ship and where they would come from — and uncovered several surprising links in a supply chain that has expanded rapidly since the end of Roe v. Wade.” — Allison McCann
Aerial view of a Bitcoin mine with rows of industrial-scale buildings near a body of water.
The Real-World Costs of the Digital Race for BitcoinThe Real-World Costs of the Digital Race for Bitcoin
Two bees learning about the game Spelling Bee in front of a chalkboard.
Spelling Bee Buddy: Personalized Hints That Update as You PlaySpelling Bee Buddy: Personalized Hints
Map showing percent of average cumulative snowfall in the United States.
Why the West Got Buried in Snow, While the East Got LittleThe West Got Buried in Snow, While the East Got Little
A collection of city maps. Most are blue, three are red and one is a mix of both colors.
How Russia’s Offensive Ran AgroundHow Russia’s Offensive Ran Aground
A layout of eight scientific studies on medication abortion.
Are Abortion Pills Safe? Here’s the Evidence.Are Abortion Pills Safe? Here’s the Evidence.
Head shots of King Charles III and Queen Camilla surrounding a photo of a crown and sceptre.
A Coronation F.A.Q.A Coronation F.A.Q.
An animated graphic showing different parts of a whole that shrink to much smaller parts. They are labeled “Transportation”, “Industrial”, “Residential” and “Commercial.”
How Electrifying Everything Became a Key Climate SolutionHow Electrifying Everything Became a Key Solution
A map of areas where fighting has been reported in Sudan.
Tracking the Fighting in Sudan: Maps and VideosTracking the Fighting in Sudan: Maps and Videos
Opinion
A map showing how, in Philadelphia, the network of roads where the most injuries occur overlaps with the regions with high Black and Hispanic populations.
American Road Deaths Show an Alarming Racial GapAmerican Road Deaths Show an Alarming Racial Gap
Three columns of type, with headers that read: “0 rounds of training,” 500 rounds of training” and “30,000 rounds of training.” The first text block is a string of characters, the second is gibberish, and the third is prose.
Let Us Show You How GPT Works — Using Jane AustenLet Us Show You How GPT Works — Using Jane Austen

May

Map showing a concentration of circles in China.
Is It a Lake, or a Battery? A New Kind of Hydropower Is Spreading Fast.Is It a Lake, or a Battery?
An iPad Reminder app widget reads "remind Linda I love her."
The Digital Fragments We Leave Behind After DeathThe Digital Fragments We Leave Behind After Death
A video begins with drone footage of three towers of an apartment building toppled over, and transitions to show a 3-D model of the building erect, highlighting its structural supports.
Why One Upscale Apartment Building Became a Death Trap Why One Upscale Apartment Building Became a Death Trap “When a massive quake hit southern Turkey on Feb. 6, over 50,000 people died and hundreds of thousands of buildings collapsed within seconds — an unfathomable toll. Our forensic investigation focused on a single luxury apartment that toppled over, killing 300 people. Residents were told that the building was ‘earthquake proof,’ but we found that the collapse was a result of a series of design flaws, minimal oversight and poor architectural decisions.” — Anjali Singhvi
In print
A newspaper spread with the headline, “Fatal Flaws Overlooked, Then Revealed by Quake.” The spread contains a drone photo of the main three apartment towers of the Renaissance Residence, in Antakya, Turkey, that toppled over. A 3-D reconstruction illustrates the buildings structural flaws.
Side-by-side videos of the same monster, the lynel, in two different games from Legend of Zelda franchise.
How The Legend of Zelda Changed the GameHow The Legend of Zelda Changed the Game
Text reads: “Extreme Weather Maps: Track the Risks for Your Places.”
Extreme Weather Maps: Track the Risks for Your PlacesTracking Extreme Weather Risks for Your Places
Graphic with examples of statements and quotes that are labeled with “Declined to Comment,” “Charged With Theft of Public Funds,” “Admitted False” and “Disproven but Partly Addressed.”
Lies, Charges and Questions Remaining in the George Santos ScandalLies, Charges and Questions in the George Santos Scandal
A large yellow rectangle representing $89 million raised, with a single blue square in the bottom right corner representing $826,904 spent on political contributions.
How to Raise $89 Million in Small Donations, and Make It DisappearHow to Make $89 Million in Small Donations Disappear
A map showing election results in all of Turkey’s provinces.
Turkey Election Maps: Why Erdogan Is Headed For a RunoffTurkey Election Maps
Map of the Philadelphia mayor primary election results.
Philadelphia Mayor Primary Election ResultsPhiladelphia Mayor Primary Election Results
A video transitions from a photograph of Marlene Rodríguez holding her toddler daughter and laughing joyfully with her in a sunlit kitchen, to a 3-D visualization of Ms. Rodríguez’s lungs.
An Inside Look at Covid’s Lasting Damage to the Lungs An Inside Look at Covid’s Lasting Damage to the Lungs “We used C.T. scan data for this project looking at long-term lung damage from Covid. Isolating the lung tissue data in each scan was challenging, since each one contained all the surrounding data for the tissue, organs and bones. So we set up a system to check over 700 million data cells and build a volumetric structure that we could navigate in 3-D and easily render. That process allowed us to show the patient’s real data, combined with photographs, to see how difficult their recovery had been.” — Jeremy White
In print
A newspaper spread with the headline “An Inside Look at Covid’s Lasting Damage to the Lungs.” Photos of two people, both wearing oxygen tubes, who were hospitalized during the pandemic’s early waves, are shown alongside 3-D visualizations of their lungs at different time points after infection.
Diagram showing how batteries for electric cars are produced.
Can the World Make an Electric Car Battery Without China?Can the World Make Electric Car Batteries Without China?
Chart with a line showing a sudden and dramatic drop.
How New Rules Turned Back the Clock on BaseballHow New Rules Turned Back the Clock on Baseball
The phrase “What’s in a Word” is highlighted and surrounded by lines filled with random letters.
What’s in a WordWhat’s in a Word
Four images from the show ‘Succession’ in which the character Kendall Roy looks sad.
How Well Do You Know ‘Succession’?How Well Do You Know ‘Succession’?
Satellite image of an oil tanker.
Fake Signals and American Insurance: How a Dark Fleet Moves Russian OilHow a Dark Fleet Moves Russian Oil

June

Diagram labeling parts of three new short-range ballistic missiles.
Why North Korea’s Latest Nuclear Claims Are Raising AlarmsNorth Korea’s Latest Nuclear Claims Are Raising Alarms
Satellite image with graphics overlays indicating the approximate locations of train cars after crashing. An area of severe damage is circled.
How the India Train Crash UnfoldedHow the India Train Crash Unfolded
Opinion
Illustration of a figure staring into an abstract network. A bright horizon line cuts through the image.
We Spoke With 5 People Who Work With A.I. Here’s What Keeps Them Up at Night.8 Big Questions About A.I.
A U.S. map with splotches of orange, mostly in the South, indicating the smoke forecast.
Maps: Tracking Air Quality and Smoke From WildfiresMaps: Tracking Air Quality and Smoke From Wildfires
Photo of a few homes, with a jet plane overhead and a graphic overlaid on the image that shows a decibel reading of 94.
Noise Could Take Years Off Your Life. Here’s How.Noise Could Take Years Off Your Life. Here’s How.
A grid of images shows scenes from New York City, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., on three different days of the week, each progressively hazy and, in the case of New York City, a striking orange color.
See What Canadian Wildfire Smoke Looked Like in 8 Places This WeekSee What Canadian Wildfire Smoke Looked Like
Video of the collapsed section of the Kakhovka Dam is overlayed with graphics indicating where the top of its concrete foundation is missing.
Why the Evidence Suggests Russia Blew Up the Kakhovka Dam Why the Evidence Suggests Russia Blew Up the Kakhovka Dam “Russia denied it had blown up a Ukrainian dam. We analyzed a range of evidence — including videos, satellite images, structural plans and seismic detections of an explosion — to assess what happened. We recreated the dam’s structure to help readers understand its most vulnerable features. And we pieced through the evidence with engineers who study dam failures. All of the evidence suggested that the dam was crippled by an explosion set off by Russia.” — Pablo Robles
A 3-D rendering of Mar-a-Lago, showing five areas highlighted in yellow
Where Documents Were Found at Mar-a-LagoWhere Documents Were Found at Mar-a-Lago
Map showing a future modeled scenario of renewable energy projects and transmission capacity across the United States.
Why the U.S. Electric Grid Isn’t Ready for the Energy TransitionThe U.S. Grid Isn’t Ready for the Energy Transition
Opinion
A 20-foot pink wall surrounds a park.
The Plan to Save New York From the Next Sandy Will Ruin the Waterfront. It Doesn’t Have To.The Plan to Save New York Will Ruin the Waterfront.
An unlabeled chart showing parts of a whole changing over time.
How India Profits From Its Neutrality in the Ukraine WarHow India Profits From Its Neutrality in the Ukraine War
A stop-motion video showing two dolls swivel a dollhouse around so the back is now facing forward. Inside, almost everything is pink and another doll sits upstairs brushing her hair.
Barbie, Her House and the American DreamBarbie, Her House and the American Dream
An illustration of roads and buildings, with military vehicles on the street and military personnel positioned in the buildings.
The Miles of Obstacles Slowing Ukraine’s CounteroffensiveThe Miles of Obstacles Slowing Ukraine’s Counteroffensive

July

A video of a 3-D diagram of the Titan submersible in which the oblong pill-shaped interior hull is shown, and then a cross-section of it.
The Maverick Design Choices That May Have Doomed TitanMaverick Design Choices May Have Doomed Titan
A world map with circles of various colors and sizes across countries.
How a Vast Demographic Shift Will Reshape the WorldHow a Vast Demographic Shift Will Reshape the World
Four lines of text in Spanish, each with an English translation below them.
The Art of TranslationThe Art of Translation
Photos of six rappers.
50 Rappers, 50 Stories50 Rappers, 50 Stories
A Google Earth aerial view image highlighting the several floors of bonus space that the developers of 325 Fifth Avenue received.
New Yorkers Got Broken Promises. Developers Got 20 Million Sq. Ft.Broken Promises and 20 Million Sq. Ft.
A map of election results from Spain’s general election.
Spain General Election ResultsSpain General Election Results
An animation showing circles that represent Starlink satellites orbiting Earth as it rotates.
Elon Musk’s Unmatched Power in the Stars Elon Musk’s Unmatched Power in the Stars “Since 2019, the proliferation of Starlink satellites in low-Earth orbit has changed our access to high-speed internet in remote places, as well as our relationship to the night’s sky. To visualize the rise of Starlink, we worked with a data format that stores satellite orbital information that was first put into use on punch cards in the 1970s. Looking to the future, we were able to show what low-Earth orbit could look like if a handful of companies enacted their plans to launch tens of thousands more internet satellites in the coming years. ” — Scott Reinhard
In print
A newspaper spread with a headline, “Elon Musk’s Unmatched Power in the Stars.” In this spread, a diagram illustrating how Starlink customers connect to the internet. Two sides of a globe covered in pink dots illustrate how Starlink satellites orbit the Earth. Side-by-side heat maps of simulated Starlink internet speeds in Ukraine on Feb. 25, 2022, and May 19, 2023, show that speeds have increased across the country.
Two side-by-side photos of cyclists climbing up steep mountain passes, one labeled “Pro” and one “Amateur.”
Watch Amateurs Race Against the Tour de France’s Top Climbers (Sort Of)Amateurs Race vs. Tour de France’s Top Climbers
Two images showing buildings and structures ablaze, and one image with a structure that has been badly damaged.
The Country That Bombs Its Own PeopleThe Country That Bombs Its Own People

August

Snippets of videos over time, ranging from cooking shows to TikToks about food — all shown one after the other in an assembly-line presentation.
How Cooking Videos Took Over the WorldHow Cooking Videos Took Over the World
A clip from a TikTok video comparing Utah’s flag with the flags from a number of other states. They all feature a seal on a blue background.
How States Are Threading the Needle on Flag DesignHow States Are Threading the Needle on Flag Design
A collection of images includes CDs and vinyl records (such as “New Amerykah Part One” by Erykah Badu), Rihanna, and a “Jeopardy!” category that reads “Stay Woke.”
How Hip-Hop Changed the English Language ForeverHow Hip-Hop Changed the English Language Forever
Map of Lahaina showing structures visibly damaged or destroyed.
Mapping the Damage From the Maui WildfiresMapping the Damage From the Maui Wildfires
Two photos of Taylor Swift standing onstage in a sparkly purple bodysuit in heavy rain. In the first image, she smiles, and in the second, she raises her hands and looks up.
Taylor Swift’s Viral EraTaylor Swift’s Viral Era
An illustration of a crowd of people, who are depicted in various shades of red, pink and purple.
The 6 Kinds of Republican VotersThe 6 Kinds of Republican Voters
Head shots of 10 Republican presidential candidates.
Where the Republican Presidential Candidates Stand on the IssuesG.O.P. Presidential Candidates On the Issues
A map of the United States showing the more than 500 known schools in the Native American boarding school system.
‘War Against the Children’ ‘War Against the Children’ “To shed light on the devastating experiences of Native American children sent over the course of decades to boarding schools far from their homes, we took a two-year dive into a century of archival materials, maps, photographs, government reports and school records in search of voices lost to history. We also spoke to living boarding school survivors. We made first-of-their-kind maps of the sprawling system and the distances students had to travel to attend school and to fulfill work obligations the schools imposed on them.” — Yuliya Parshina-Kottas
A looping animated video showing a plane sitting on the runway with its nose jutting out into a second, perpendicular runway lane. A plane speeds by along the second lane, barely missing the first plane’s nose.
Airline Close Calls Happen Far More Often Than Previously KnownAirline Close Calls
A chart showing Mike Pence at the top of the list of candidates who received the most speaking time, 12 minutes 37 seconds. He is followed by Vivek Ramaswamy, Chris Christie, Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley.
Which Candidates Got the Most Speaking Time in the First Republican DebateWhich Candidates Got the Most Speaking Time
A map of the United States that depicts falling groundwater levels from 1980 to 2022.
America Is Using Up Its Groundwater Like There’s No TomorrowAmerica Is Using Up Its Groundwater
Opinion
A head shot of Donald Trump surrounded by colorful headshots of other political figures, including Mark Meadows, Rudy Giuliani and Kelli Ward.
The Key Players in Trump’s Plot to Upend the Election, MappedThe Key Players in Trump’s Plot to Upend the Election
A map of Kyiv showing the locations of the many explosions that have been detected there.
A Thousand Tiny QuakesA Thousand Tiny Quakes

September

An animated video that diagrams how power and decision-making in China is concentrated around Xi Jinping.
How Xi Returned China to One-Man RuleHow Xi Returned China to One-Man Rule
A map showing the epicenter of an earthquake that struck Morocco near Marrakesh, and the shake intensity felt in surrounding areas.
Maps: Where the Earthquake Struck MoroccoMaps: Where the Earthquake Struck Morocco
Opinion
A black-and-white illustration of a man standing still, his back to the viewer, and looking at a crowd of moving figures.
The City Looks Different When You’re OlderThe City Looks Different When You’re Older
Satellite images comparing the port city of Derna on Aug. 31 and Sept. 12 that show the effects of devastating flooding.
Mapping Where Floods Have Devastated a Libyan Port CityMapping Where Floods Have Devastated a Libyan Port City
Three teenage girls share their feelings about social media and being 13.
What It’s Like to Be a 13-Year-Old Girl Today What It’s Like to Be a 13-Year-Old Girl Today “In her reporting, Jessica Bennett followed three teenage girls over the course of their eighth-grade year. Afterward, we ended up with a lot of digital media to work with: photos and videos posted to social media or shared with their friends, TikTok accounts they liked, diary entries, voice memos and text messages. Our challenge was how to capture what it really means to be 13, including all of the distractions, the drama and the insatiable desire for connection. Our two-panel design allows readers to alternate between an immersive world that presents the girls as they are, and a parallel one where we try to relate, empathize and make sense of it all.” — Deanna Donegan
A map showing the locations of U.A.W. strikes.
Here Are the Locations Where U.A.W. Strikes Are HappeningWhere U.A.W. Strikes Are Happening
An illustration of a curvy street with many houses highlighted.
What Happens When Wall Street Buys Most of the Homes on Your Block?What Happens When Wall Street Buys Your Block?
Opinion
A line chart showing the world population growing exponentially in recent years, then peaking in the near future, and then sharply declining.
All of the Predictions Agree on One Thing: Humanity Peaks SoonPrediction: Humanity Peaks Soon
An illustrated map of Singapore highlighting pockets of different temperatures.
How to Cool Down a CityHow to Cool Down a City
A map of Texas showing the location of fracking sites and the water wells that supply them.
‘Monster Fracks’ Are Getting Far Bigger. And Far Thirstier.‘Monster Fracks’ Are Getting Far Bigger. And Far Thirstier.
A map of the front line in Ukraine and the changes in control since Jan. 1.
Who’s Gaining Ground in Ukraine? This Year, No One.Who’s Gaining Ground in Ukraine? This Year, No One.
Security camera footage shows a missile striking a busy street.
Evidence Suggests Ukrainian Missile Caused Market TragedyEvidence Suggests Ukrainian Missile Caused Tragedy

October

A census form asks, “What is your race or ethnicity?” Images of past censuses are in the background.
An American Puzzle: Fitting Race in a Box An American Puzzle: Fitting Race in a Box “We sifted through copies of each decennial census from 1790. We found that almost none of the forms categorized race in the exact same way. Each change indicated a shift in how the nation perceived racial and ethnic identities at that time. The first census in 1790, for example, separated free ‘white’ people from other free people and enslaved people. In 1890, the census identified African Americans by the fraction of their African heritage: ‘Black,’ ‘mulatto,’ ‘quadroon’ and ‘octoroon.’ These terms stamped in old documents are a stark reminder of U.S. history.” — K.K. Rebecca Lai
Four photographs of car owners and their cars. One person is standing in front of their car, one is pumping gas, one is driving with a child in the backseat, and one is standing in front of the open hatch, facing a dog inside.
How the Costs of Car Ownership Add UpHow the Costs of Car Ownership Add Up
A collection of maps tracking the attacks in Israel and Gaza.
Maps: Tracking the Attacks in Israel and GazaMaps: Tracking the Attacks in Israel and Gaza
A satellite map overlayed with labels pointing to multiple craters and an area where tanks and other armored vehicles are parked.
A Detailed Satellite View of Israel’s InvasionA Detailed Satellite View of Israel’s Invasion
A global map shows where average daily temperatures from June 1 to Sept. 23 were warmer or cooler than the 1979-2000 average. Much of North America was warmer than average.
Where This Summer Was Relentlessly HotWhere This Summer Was Relentlessly Hot
Images from four different locations are labeled Festival, Kfar Azza, Sderot, and Kibbutz Be’eri. They include lifeless bodies, images of people running and an armed man pointing a gun at a vehicle.
Hamas Leaves Trail of Terror in IsraelHamas Leaves Trail of Terror in Israel
An eclipse map of the Western Hemisphere.
Maps of the 2023 ‘Ring of Fire’ Solar EclipseMaps of the 2023 ‘Ring of Fire’ Solar Eclipse
A map of Lower Manhattan. Colors indicating different neighborhoods blend together in areas where they overlap.
An Extremely Detailed Map of New York City Neighborhoods An Extremely Detailed Map of New York City Neighborhoods “Tens of thousands of readers contributed to this mosaic that contains more than 350 neighborhood names and nearly 1,000 comments. The map triggered memories of New York for so many. Their version of New York. What a neighborhood used to be called and what it was like in their time. And in the reader comments, the map seems to have started more fights than it’s settled. New Yorkers are constantly arguing over who’s in and who’s out, over what it means to be a real New Yorker. Is it a certain amount of time? Is it a level of status? Is it when you learn to pronounce Houston? I’d like to add another way to tell: When you have strong opinions about your neighborhood’s borders, you are a New Yorker.” — Larry Buchanan
Two maps side by side, one showing a compilation of thousands of readers’ drawings of neighborhoods in Brooklyn, and another showing a 1919 map of Brooklyn’s neighborhoods from the Liberty Loan Committee.
An Extremely Detailed Guide to an Extremely Detailed Map of New York City NeighborhoodsAn Extremely Detailed Guide to an Extremely Detailed Map of Neighborhoods
Four stacked yellow lines depicting the lengths of time before rescue at some of the deadliest attacks in Israel on Oct. 7. People waited for more than 8.5 hours in Nir Oz, festivalgoers waited for about eight hours, those in Kfar Azza waited for more than 20 hours, and people in Be’eri waited for more than 13 hours.
The Long Wait for Help as Massacres Unfolded in IsraelThe Long Wait for Help as Massacres Unfolded in Israel
A collection of photos of Beenslackin. In one, Beenslackin wraps a black garment around his head, exposing only part of his face. In another, he leans back as he gets a tattoo on his stomach while wearing large blue jeans and bright red clogs.
Getting Dressed With BeenslackinGetting Dressed With Beenslackin
An animation showing an illustrated restaurant with tabletops gradually being filled in.
How to Win the Restaurant Reservation GameHow to Win the Restaurant Reservation Game
Young African women and men smiling and having fun on a sandy beach.
The World Is Becoming More AfricanThe World Is Becoming More African

November

Against a black background, an illustrated figure on the right looks through a telescope. On the left, a circular image of a gaseous cloud in outer space.
A Beginner’s Guide to Observing the UniverseA Beginner’s Guide to Observing the Universe
A chart showing how the New York Times estimate for the outcome of the Ohio Issue 1 election results changed throughout the night.
Ohio Issue 1 Election Results: Establish a Constitutional Right to AbortionOhio Abortion Amendment: Live Forecast and Results
An illustration of buildings, streets and people in Gaza City. One building has an entrance in a basement that opens to a ladder, which leads to an underground tunnel.
The Tunnels of GazaThe Tunnels of Gaza
A box of 20 bullets with brass casings.
Army Ammunition Plant Is Tied to Mass Shootings Across the U.S.Army Ammunition Plant Is Tied to Mass Shootings
Multiple videos recorded during the fires in Maui are geolocated on a 3-D base map of Lahaina before the fire.
Inside the Deadly Maui Inferno, Hour by Hour Inside the Deadly Maui Inferno, Hour by Hour “Our reporting for this project involved geolocating hundreds of videos taken by people fleeing Lahaina, which provided a clear picture of how the fire spread and how people became trapped while trying to escape. We decided to center the presentation of the story around those videos. By placing them on a Google 3D Tiles map, we were able to walk readers through the events as they unfolded and highlight video evidence showing the timing and location of key failures that led to the deaths of at least 100 people.” — Charlie Smart
A collage of Thanksgiving dishes, including a turkey, scalloped potatoes, stuffing, and macaroni and cheese.
The Ultimate Guide to ThanksgivingThe Ultimate Guide to Thanksgiving
An animated video showing photographs of young athletes.
They Started Playing Football as Young as 6. They Died in Their Teens and Twenties With C.T.E.Study Finds Young Football Players Are Getting C.T.E.
A map showing paths of hurricanes around the Carolina coast.
‘A Beautiful Place That Has a Dragon’: Where Hurricane Risk Meets Booming GrowthWhere Hurricane Risk Meets Booming Growth
Six charts showing changing trends in electricity generation in the United States, Germany, Australia, China, Brazil and Vietnam.
How Electricity Is Changing, Country by CountryHow Electricity Is Changing, Country by Country
Head shots of five migrants.
Making a Home and Avoiding Deportation in New York CityMaking a Home and Avoiding Deportation in New York City
A chart that is trending upward with regular spikes topped by gift emojis.
It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year (for the Economy)It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year (for the Economy)

December

A video pans north over a map of Gaza, and, along the way, various quotes are geolocated. Quotes include “We barely eat, we barely drink, we barely live," “There is no safe place," “If we die we prefer to die together," “More than 50 or 100 under the rubble," and “I don’t have any more children.”
‘We Sleep Fearing We Might Be Dead’ ‘We Sleep Fearing We Might Be Dead’ “We wanted to capture the experience of what life has been like in Gaza under Israeli bombardment: the lack of food, water and fuel, the feeling that nowhere is safe from airstrikes, and what it’s like to seek out health care when hospitals are under extreme duress, if they’re open at all. We wanted the story to be in the first person as much as possible — for the reader to hear from Gazans in their own voices — so we combined visuals and maps with quotes and first-person stories gathered by Times reporters into one immersive story.” — Lauren Leatherby
A satellite image showing thousands of people waiting south of Gaza City to evacuate on Nov. 17.
What the Scale of Displacement in Gaza Looks LikeThe Scale of Displacement in Gaza
An animated video follows the path of a storm as it makes landfall in Florida and moves through Georgia and South Carolina.
2023 Hurricane Season Ends, Marked by Storms That ‘Really Rapidly Intensified’2023 Marked by Storms That ‘Really Rapidly Intensified’
A chart showing the number of pedestrian deaths in the United States, which had been dropping since around 1980 but has now been rising for more than a decade. Nearly all of this increase is because of an uptick in pedestrian deaths at night.
Why Are So Many American Pedestrians Dying at Night?Why Are So Many American Pedestrians Dying at Night?
An illustration of two green-and-blue buses driving in red lanes in the middle of a multi-lane road.
Could Better Buses Fix Your Commute?Could Better Buses Fix Your Commute?
A video cycles through images showing a partly occupied room, a hallway and a structure where dozens of phones are lined up side by side.
7 Months Inside an Online Scam Labor Camp7 Months Inside an Online Scam Labor Camp
Opinion
The outline of a body drawn on a canvas, which is covered in multicolored painted strokes. Above them are the words “nausea," “brain fog," “fatigue," “fever," “burning," “headache" and “pain.”
My Life With Long CovidMy Life With Long Covid
A video of a satellite image zooms to 5 different areas labeled “support base”, “horizontal tunnel test area”, “possible nuclear device prep area”, “probable new underground test area”.
China Quietly Rebuilds Secretive Base for Nuclear TestsChina Quietly Rebuilds Secretive Base for Nuclear Tests
A photo of a damaged home in Israel in the aftermath of the Hamas attacks on Oct. 7. Caution tape is hanging in front of the door, and there is number graffiti on the wall. House plants are sitting outside the front door, and there is debris on the ground.
What Happened in the Hamas Attack on Be’eri, IsraelWhat Happened in the Hamas Attack on Be’eri, Israel
A list of places that commonly need saving in Hallmark and Lifetime holiday movies, including a candy cane company, a historical theater, a Christmas tree farm and a lighthouse on a remote island. All of the text is in green or red font.
Just How Formulaic Are Hallmark and Lifetime Holiday Movies?Just How Formulaic Are Hallmark and Lifetime Holiday Movies?
An abstract visualization of a large email dataset from the Enron Corporation, which is often used to train artificial intelligence systems like ChatGPT. The dataset is depicted as dozens of different-colored cubes floating against a black background.
How Strangers Got My Email Address From ChatGPT’s ModelHow Strangers Got My Email Address From ChatGPT’s Model
See visual stories from previous years: