Infographic: Cycles of Violence in the United States

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Cycles of Violence Infographic
(Image credit: Karl Tate, Live Science Infographic Artist)

Peter Turchin, an ecologist, evolutionary biologist and mathematician at the University of Connecticut, has identified 50-year-long cycles of violence in United States history. The number of violent events, including civil war, riots, assassinations, terrorism and rampages, appears to have peaked in every other generation.

Turchin says his model predicts another peak in violence in 2020. However, other scientists and historians are skeptical about the ability to predict future outcomes based on historical observations.

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Karl Tate
Karl Tate
LiveScience Infographic Artist
Karl has been Purch's infographics specialist across all editorial properties since 2010.  Before joining Purch, Karl spent 11 years at the New York headquarters of The Associated Press, creating news graphics for use around the world in newspapers and on the web.  He has a degree in graphic design from Louisiana State University.