Statisticians

Top 10 Famous Statisticians

Top 10 Famous Statisticians

June 18, 2019

The field of statistics has deep roots that trace back centuries. It has naturally evolved over time, due in
large part to the following individuals who made significant progress in shaping it. While this list of great
statisticians is certainly not exhaustive, it is an introduction to those whose contributions to statistics
greatly influence how we manage data today.

Famous Statisticians and Their Contributions

Johann Carl Friedrich Gauss (1777-1855) was a German mathematical prodigy who laid much of the
groundwork for statistics, particularly given his work in probability theory. He may be best known for the
method of least squares (managing errors in observations).

Florence Nightingale (1820-1910) traveled as a nurse to a hospital during the Crimean War in 1854. The
conditions were alarmingly unsanitary. Nightingale proceeded to use her skills in data collection and
analysis (honed by her study of mathematics) to provide evidence that the conditions surrounding the
soldiers were likely more deadly than the wounds incurred during battle. She created a graphic that
clearly established that fact – a novel approach at that time. This made Nightingale a pioneer in the field
of statistical graphics.

Karl Pearson (1857-1936) has shared the title of the father of modern statistics with his fellow
statistician (and rival) Ronald A. Fisher. Among his major contributions to statistics is the Pearson
Product Moment Correlation, a procedure to ascertain the magnitude of a relationship/association
between variables. He also developed the Chi-Square distribution. Pearson founded the world’s first
university statistics department at the University College London in 1911 and wrote: “The Grammar of
Science” (“Statistics is the grammar of science”) in 1932.

William Sealy Gosset (1876-1937). Among the great statisticians is a man who was not a statistician at all
– he was, in fact, the head brewer of Guinness beer. He was tasked with testing the consistency of hops
in small batches and thus was born the now prominent t-distribution, a method for interpreting
information extracted from small samples of data. Why isn’t he better known? When he published his
findings, Gosset was required to adopt a pseudonym in order to protect Guinness trade secrets, so
perhaps you might know him as “A.Student.”

Ronald A. Fisher (1890-1962) is considered the father of modern statistics along with Karl Pearson. It
was Fisher who laid the groundwork for much of experimental design, statistical inference, and the
procedure known as Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). Fisher argued for the concept of randomization in
experimental design and proposed the now conventional use of p-values of .05 as a threshold for
statistical significance. Fisher also developed the maximum likelihood method of estimation (i.e.,
estimating parameters of a statistical model given observations).

Edwards Deming (1900-1993) developed the concept of quality control. He was instrumental in assisting
post-WWII Japan rise as a world power in the industry, given his expertise in systems and systems
thinking. Deming also taught industry leaders how to put their focus on both internal groups and
external groups, and how they relate to and work with each other – a form of collaboration so
fundamental in research endeavors today.

Gertrude Cox (1900-1978) was among the famous statisticians to experience many “firsts.” Cox was the
first recipient of Iowa State’s master’s degree in statistics. She was the first full female professor as well
as the first female department head at North Carolina State College in 1941, founding the Department
of Experimental Statistics. She was also the first woman elected to membership in the National Academy
of Sciences in 1975. Cox viewed statisticians as “partners in science” – a validation of statistician John
Tukey’s statement: “the best thing about being a statistician is that you get to play in everyone’s
backyard.” Another of Cox’s significant contributions to statistics was championing the use of computers
for analysis.

John Tukey (1915-2000) could certainly be described as one of the great statisticians; his own
contributions to statistics were wide-ranging and numerous. He coined the term “bit” from binary digit
as well as the term “software.” He is known for robust methods, graphing, and creating the ubiquitous
box plot (introduced in his classic book Exploratory Data Analysis). The Tukey Range Test is employed
often in ANOVA when doing multiple comparison procedures (testing if means differ significantly).

George Box (1919-2013) was a British chemist who considered himself an “accidental statistician.” He
was called upon as a sergeant in WWII to study the effects of poisonous gases. Studying under Fisher, he
developed expertise in data transformations, developing the Box-Cox transformation (transforming non-
normal dependent variables into a normal shape). He may also be best known for his statement,
“essentially all models are wrong, but some are useful.” This was not intended as an indictment, but
rather, the need to ensure that model results could be applied to everyday life.

Janet Norwood (1923-2015) was the first female commissioner of the US Bureau of Labor Statistics
(appointed in 1979 by Carter and re-appointed twice by Reagan). She had a leading role in the
enhancement of critical government statistics such as Consumer Price Index (CPI) and unemployment.
She was elected the president of the American Statistical Association in 1989 and was a senior fellow in
both the Urban Institute and the New York Conference Board, a think tank established in 1916.

The techniques developed or enhanced by these great statisticians can be fascinating. If you are
interested in advancing your career as a statistician, consider earning a master’s in applied statistics.
Michigan Technological University offers an online Applied Statistics program, so you can continue to
work while pursuing your master’s degree.

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Famous Mathematicians and Statisticians

Probability and Statistics > Famous Mathematicians

Famous Mathematicians

The following famous mathematicians have made notable contributions to the field of statistics.

George Boole.

Pafutny Chebyschev.
Leonhard Euler.

Carl Gauss.

Gottfried Liebniz.

John Venn.

Famous Mathematicians #1: George Boole.

George Boole was an English mathematician (1815-1864) best known for his work on logic which
became Boolean algebra, the math behind every computer. His early career was unremarkable: he
didn’t study for a degree and became an assistant school teacher. Apart from some math lessons from
his father, he was self-taught in mathematics. Some of his major accomplishments:

He submitted many papers on differential equations and linear transformations to the new Cambridge
Mathematical Journal, starting with “Researches on the Theory of Analytical Transformations” in 1839.

In 1844 he was awarded the Royal Society’s first gold medal for mathematics, for a paper discussing the
combining of algebra and calculus. He was elected as a fellow of the Royal Society on 1857.

His 1847 “Mathematical Analysis of Logic” suggested that logic should be allied with math, not
philosphy.

Despite having no degree, he was appointed professor of mathematics at Queen’s College in County
Cork, Ireland. He did eventually receive honorary degrees from Oxford University and University College
Dublin. His most important work is considered by many to be “An investigation into the Laws of
Thought”.

Boolean algebra is the foundation for many parts of probability theory, including Bayesian statistics.

Famous Mathematicians and Statisticians #2: Pafutny Chebyshev.

Pafnuty Chebyshev (1821-1894) is a Russian mathematician who is well known for Chebyshev’s
Theorem, which extends the properties of normal distributions to other, non-normal distributions with
the formula (1 – (1 / k2 )), as long as the distribution’s z score‘s absolute value is less than or equal to k
and the standard deviation is more than 1.

The inequality was originally known as the Bienaymé-Chebyshev inequality after linguist Irenée-Jules
Bienaymé, the author of the original theorem.
chebyshev theorem

Career

Pafutny Chebyshev was born on 16 May 1821 in Okatovo, Kaluga Region, Russia and Died on 8
December 1894 in St Petersburg, Russia. Over the course of his career he produced many notable
papers, including papers on statistics, calculus, mechanics and algebra. In 1847, he was appointed to the
University of St Petersburg after submitting a thesis titled On integration by means of logarithms. In
1850, he was promoted to extraordinary professor at St Petersburg. Pafutny Chebyshev is perhaps the
most famous Russian mathematician and is considered the father of modern Russian mathematics.

Contributions to Mathematics

Pafutny Chebyshev is probably most famous for the theorem that’s named after him. However, he did
make several other notable mathematical contributions, including:

The Chebyshev inequality which states that if X is a random variable with standard deviation σ, then the
probability that the outcome of X is no less than a\σ away from its mean is no more than 1/a2.

Chebyshev polynomials.

Chebyshev Bias

His name has a variety of spellings, all derived from his original Russian-language name Пафну́тий
Льво́вич Чебышёв. According to Princeton University, his name is alternatively spelled Chebychev,
Chebyshov, Tchebycheff or Tschebyscheff (the latter two are French and German transcriptions).

Fun fact: The moon crater Crater Chebyschev and the asteroid 2010 Chebyshev are named after him.

Chebyshev's crater on the moon.

Chebyschev’s crater on the moon.

3. Famous Mathematicians and Statisticians: Leohnard Euler.

famous mathematiciansLeonhard Euler (pronounced “oiler“) was a German mathematician born in
Basel, Switzerland to pastor Paul Euler and his wife, Marguerite. After moving to Riehen, Germany as an
infant, he spent most of his career in St. Petersburg and Berlin. Euler is well known for his copious
contributions to every area of mathematics that existed at the time; he produced so much work that the
St. Petersburg Academy continued to publish his work for more than 30 years after his death. Euler was
married two times. He had 13 children, although eight died in early childhood. His powers of memory
and concentration were renowned. For example, he could recite all 9,896 lines of the epic Latin poem
the Aeneid by memory. Euler went blind in his later years but continued to produce a prolific amount of
work.

Notable contributions by Leonhard Euler to Probability and Statistics

Although Leonhard Euler made dozens of profound contributions to every area of mathematics, he
made few notable contributions that specifically falls into the area of statistics. Statistics wasn’t even
recognized as a discipline until Euler was well into middle-age, around 1749. However, much of the work
he did do has served as a basis for studies in probability and statistics. For example, he is noted for his
work on Graeco-Latin squares (sometimes called Euler Squares), which are used in the design of
experiments.

leonhard euler

In the area of probability, Euler spent a large part of his mid-life studying the calculus of probability.

“…volume I.7 [of Opera Ominia, Euler’s published works] contains eight memoirs and a fragment
concerning probability theory on finite sample spaces…the greatest portion of Euler’s writings on
probability theory relate to the Genoese lottery” MAA.

Later in life, towards the end of the eighteenth century, Euler also worked on problems in the fledgling
areas of mathematical statistics and observational error. For example, he contributed to the concept of
maximum likelihood, where he showed that a carefully placed observation could destroy a well-built
model.

Notable contributions to other areas of mathematics

Euler made hundreds of contributions to many areas of mathematics including applied mathematics,
calculus, graph theory and number theory. Some of his best known work includes:

The creation of Euler diagrams.

The concept of a function (where every input is matched to exactly on output). He was the first to write
the notation f(x).

Euler’s number, e, the base of the natural logarithm.

He introduced the use of the Greek letter Σ for summation notation.

He popularized the use of the Greek letter π to mean the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter
although its use didn’t originate with him. The use of π originated with William Jones in 1706.

He developed the power series and proved the power series expansion for e.

He invented calculus of variations, including the Euler-Lagrange equation.

4. Famous Mathematicians and Statisticians: Carl Gauss.

carl gauss

Carl Friedrich Gauss (1824-1908)

Carl Gauss was born into poverty, but became one of the most influential mathematicians of all time.

As a child in elementary school, he was noticed as a prodigy in part because of his solution to a problem
posed by his teacher: add up the numbers 1 to 100. Gauss noticed that 1 + 100 = 101, 2 + 99 = 101, 3 +
98 = 101 and so on. The solution involves multiplying the number pairs (50) by 101 to get 5,050. This was
written later, in more formal and general terms, as:

1 + 2 + ⋯ + n = n (n + 1) /2

Contributions to mathematics include:

The Gaussian Distribution

The Fundamental Theorem of Algebra

The Method of Least Squares.

The Gaussian Distribution

The Gaussian distribution, also called the bell curve, is one of the most important concepts in probability
and statistics. It was first developed by Carl Gauss.

Other Contributions to Math by Carl Gauss

Carl Gauss made contributions to almost every area of mathematics. The Fundamental Theorem of
Algebra, where every algebraic equation has at least one solution, or root, is attributable to Gauss. He
wrote it for his doctoral dissertation, which was published as Disquisitiones Arithmeticae (Inquiries into
Arithmetic) in 1801.

Gauss is also famous for the method of least squares, which is used in regression analysis to fit a line to a
series of data points.

One of his most interesting accomplishments was that he was the first mathematician to find a pattern
in prime numbers: the pattern is a rough one: as the numbers increase by 1-, the probability of finding a
prime number decreases by a factor of about 2. For example:

The probability of finding a prime number from 1 to 100 is about 1 in 4.

The probability of finding a prime from 1 to 1,000 is about 1 in 6.

The probability of finding a prime from 1 to 10,000 is about 1 in 8

5. Famous Mathematicians and Statisticians: Gottfried Liebniz.

Liebniz is considered a forefather of modern logic and analytical philosophy. He is perhaps most well
known in mathematics for developing calculus. He also worked on developing a practical counting
machine which used the binary system, so arguably you could call him a grandfather of computing too.
During development of the machine, he also laid the groundwork for probabilities and combinations but
nothing was formally published in the field of probability theory. Although he did not formally publish
anything on formal logic, he did develop in draft form some properties of sets, including: conjunction,
disjunction, identity, and the empty set.

6. Famous Mathematicians and Statisticians: John Venn.

john venn piJohn Venn (1834-1923) was a mathematician best known for his development of Venn
Diagrams.

john venn diagram union

Early Life and Career

John Venn was born in August 4th, 1834 in England, into a strict, evangelical family. His mother, Martha
Sykes, died when Venn was a young boy. His father, Reverend Henry Venn, was rector of the parish of
Drypool. There was never any doubt John Venn would enter the priesthood and although he received an
early education, he had

“…… so slight an acquaintance with books of any kind that he may be said to have begun there his
knowledge of literature.”

John studied at Gonville and Caius College at Cambridge University until 1857, when he received a
degree in mathematics. Out of all the students who received first class (honors) degrees in mathematics,
he placed sixth.

He was ordained as an Anglican priest in 1859 at the age of 25 but resigned from the priesthood several
years later (in 1883), stating that Anglicism was incompatible with his philosophical beliefs. He became a
fellow of the Royal Society and was awarded a Doctor of Science by Cambridge the same year. He
Married Susanna Carnegie Edmonstone in 1868 and had one son, John Archibald Venn. In 1903 he was
elected president of Gonville and Caius College.

The Development of Venn Diagrams

Venn taught moral science, logic, and probability theory at Cambridge University, where he became a
lecturer in 1862. It was during this time that he developed diagrams to illustrate set theory.

“I began at once somewhat more steady work on the subjects and books which I should have to lecture
on. I now first hit upon the diagrammatical device of representing propositions by inclusive and
exclusive circles. Of course the device was not new then, but it was so obviously representative of the
way in which any one, who approached the subject from the mathematical side, would attempt to
visualise propositions, that it was forced upon me almost at once.” ~ John Venn

Venn wrote several books, including Logic of Chance which was highly influential on the development of
statistical theory. In that book, he stated that probability should be determined by forecasting how often
something will happen, rather than “educated” assumptions. In his 1881 work, Symbolic Logic, Venn
formally introduced the diagrams that would later bear his name.

john venn

One of the diagrams John Venn penned in Logical Statements (p.252).

Interestingly, John Venn was not the first person to develop the diagrams we now call Venn diagrams.
Similar diagrams appeared almost two hundred years before Venn penned his work.

Leonhard Euler used the diagrams as a teaching tool to explain Aristotle’s logic of the syllogism for a 15-
year-old girl, which were published in Letters to a German Princess in 1768.

Gottfried Leibniz’s almost identical diagrams appeared in logic papers he penned in 1686. However the
papers were not formally published until 1903 (in De Formae Logicae Comprobatione per Linearum
Ductus), long after Leibniz’s and Euler’s death.

Many statisticians—both past and present—have made tremendous contributions to society. Here are a
few that stand out in history and in contemporary times:
Florence Nightingale

1875 Florence Nightengale1875

Florence Nightingale was a pioneer in visual representation of statistics. She developed the modern
circular histogram to present complicated statistical reports in a straightforward way. Nightingale also
initiated improved medical care in India through her comprehensive statistical analysis of the country’s
sanitation system.

John Tukeytukey_john_w

John Tukey coined many terms that are well-known in the field of computer science. He introduced the
term “bit,” a contraction of “binary digit.” He also developed many algorithms that bear his name, along
with the box-plot.

Gertrude Cox1931Gertrude Cox

Gertrude Cox’s most influential work was on experimental design in statistics. She founded the
Department of Experimental Statistics while a professor at North Carolina State University. Cox became
the first female elected to the International Statistical Institute, and was President of the American
Statistical Association. She is often called the First Lady of Statistics.

Susan Murphystatis-img

Susan Murphy’s groundbreaking work in statistics has helped doctors improve medical treatment for
people suffering from chronic conditions such as ADHD, alcoholism, drug addiction, HIV/AIDS and
cardiovascular disease. In 2013, Murphy was named a MacArthur Foundation Fellow in recognition of
her significant contributions.
Jake Porwayjake3-304x264

Jake Porway founded DataKind to create a world in which social organizations can better serve humanity
through access to data. DataKind creates teams of pro bono data scientists who work together with
mission-based organizations to tackle humanity’s biggest problems with data science. Porway was the
data scientist at The New York Times R&D Lab, and is influential in the data science community.

Nate Silvernate silver

Nate Silver is a statistician and journalist. He is best known for successfully predicting the outcomes in
49 out of 50 states in the 2008 U.S. Presidential Election and all states in the 2012 U.S. Presidential
Election. He is currently the editor-in-chief of FiveThirtyEight, an online media outlet with an emphasis
on using statistical analysis to tell compelling stories in politics, sports, entertainment and more.

David Blackwell david blackwell

David Blackwell was a statistician and teacher whose influence on game, probability and information
theory can still be found in the classroom today. He chaired the Department of Statistics at UC Berkeley,
one of the world’s top centers for mathematical statistics, where he was the first tenured African
American professor. He was also the first African American inducted into the National Academy of
Sciences.