Statisticians of the Centuries

Statisticians of the Centuries aims to demonstrate the achievements of statistics to a broad audience, and to commemorate the work of celebrated statisticians. This is done through short biographies that put the statistical work in its historical and sociological context, emphasizing contributions to science and society in the broadest terms rather than narrow technical achievement. The discipline is treated from its earliest times and only individuals born prior to the 20th Century are included. The volume arose through the initiative of the International Statistical Institute (ISI), the principal representative association for international statistics (founded in 1885). Extensive consultations within the statistical community, and with prominent members of ISI in particular, led to the names of the 104 individuals who are included in the volume. The biographies were contributed by 73 authors from across the world.
The editors are the well-known statisticians Chris Heyde and Eugene Seneta. Chris Heyde is Professor of Statistics at both Columbia University in New York and the Australian National University in Canberra. He is also Director of the Center for Applied Probability at Columbia. He has twice served as Vice President of the ISI, and also as President of the ISI's Bernoulli Society. Eugene Seneta is Professor of Mathematical Statistics at the University of Sydney and a Member of the ISI. His historical writings focus on 19th Century France and the Russian Empire. He has taught courses on the history of probability-based statistics in U.S. universities. Both editors are Fellows of the Australian Academy of Science and have, at various times, been awarded the Pitman Medal of the Statistical Society of Australia for their distinguished research contributions.
This interesting and informative book summarizes developments in statistics. Concerned only with contributions by researchers born prior to the 20th century, articles are presented chronologically by date of birth of the statistician. More than 100 researchers are represented, and 75 authors from all over the globe contributed biographies. This volume arose through the initiative of the International Statistical Institute (an international organization founded in 1885 with statisticians from all nationalities and walks of life as its members) whose primary concern is to further the cause of statistics and to make the public aware of the role and contributions of statistics in all aspects of life. The book is organized chronologically; all developments and contributions through the 16th century are followed by material from the 17th through 20th centuries. Some of the salient features of this volume are the alphabetical listing of statisticians, chapter bibliographies, useful index, and an indicator pointing to an internal linkage between chapters. An excellent resource on the historical development of statistics, this book will appeal to all those interested in the historical development of statistical techniques and concepts. Recommended for all academic libraries. Upper-division undergraduate and graduate students."
CHOICE, May 2002
"This book arose out of an International Statistical Institute initiative. Its objective is stated to be to demonstrate the achievement of statistics to a broad audience and to commemorate the work of celebrated statisticians. This demanding objective has been outstandingly well met. The choice of individuals for inclusion, taken from those born before 31 December 1900. ... Most entries have a photograph, a very short abstract and typically a four or five page essay, followed by a short bibliography. The essays are lucid, informative, sympathetic to their subject and most contain a pleasing mixture of technical and personal detail. The editroial team and the contributors are to be congratulated on an important and enjoyable contribution to the general literature on our subject."
ISI Short Book Reviews, April 2002

• Probability Prior to Pascal

  17th Century:

• Pierre de Fermat (1601-1665)
• John Graunt (1620-1674)
• Blaise Pascal (1623-1662)
• Christian Huygens (1629-1695)
• Caspar Neumann (1648-1715)
• Jakob Bernoulli (1655-1705)
• John Arbuthnot (1667-1735)
• Abraham de Moivre (1667-1754)
• Pierre Remond de Montmort (1678-1719)
• Nicolaus Bernoulli (1687-1759)
• Daniel Bernoulli (1700-1782)

  18th Century:

• Thomas Bayes (1701-1761)
• Johann Peter Sussmilch (1707-1767)
• Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon (1707-1788)
• Rogerius Josephus Boscovich (1711-1787)
• D'Alembert (1717-1783)
• Marquis de Condorcet (1743-1794)
• Pierre-Simon Marquis de Laplace (1749-1827)
• Adrien-Marie Legendre (1752-1833)
• William Playfair (1759-1823)
• Thomas Robert Malthus (1766-1834)
• Sir Frederick Morton Eden (1765-1809)
• Carl Friederich Gauss (1777-1855)
• Simeon-Denis Poisson (1781-1840)
• Adolphe Quetelet (1796-1874)
• Irenee-Jules Bienayme (1796-1878)
• Stefano Franscini (1796-1857)

  19th Century:

• Gustav Theodor Fechner (1801-1887)
• Anton Meyer (1801-1857)
• Antoine Augustin Cournot (1801-1877)
• Augustus De Morgn (1806-1871)
• William Farr (1807-1883)
• George Boole (1815-1864)
• Florence Nightingale (1820-1910)