The History of Statistics

        As an undergraduate student in UofT, I am taking statistics as one of my majors. By taking the statistics courses at school, I have learned how to build a model, how to interpret the results, and how to write codes and the report. Yes, we have learned a lot in class, but do you know the history of statistics?

        The term statistics is ultimately derived from the New Latin statisticum collegium ("council of state") and the Italian word statista ("statesman" or "politician"). The subject statistics arose from the interplay of mathematical concepts and the needs of several applied sciences including astronomy, geodesy, experimental psychology, genetics, and sociology. Statistics was created in the 18th century in response to the needs of industrializing. 

        By the 18th century, the term "statistics" designated the systematic collection of demographic and economic data by states. In the early 19th century, the meaning of "statistics" broadened to include the discipline concerned with the collection, summary, and analysis of data. Today, data is collected and statistics are computed and widely distributed in government, business, most of the sciences and sports, and many other fields.