Introduction Act I Act II Fahlbeck vs. Charlier Wicksell in the middle in the early days of Lund statistics Georg Lindgren Lund University Mathematical Statistics Centenary 2015, May 12 Lindgren Fahlbeck vs. Charlier 1 / 14 Introduction Act I Act II The actors The plot Pontus the defender Carl the revolutionary Lund 100 years ago Two characters and the man in the middle Lindgren Fahlbeck vs. Charlier 2 / 14 Introduction Act I Act II The actors The plot Pontus the defender Carl the revolutionary Is statistics a science? Gottfried Achenwall, 1748: Statistik ≈ Staatenkunde Theodore Wittstein, 1867: Mathematische Statistik und deren Anwendung ... Karl Pearson, 1891: Statistics is a universal methodological science married with probability and couched in the abstract language of mathemathics; Judy Klein, ... A history of time series analysis 1662-1938, (1997) Chancellor of the Swedish universities, 1907: Statistics, whose importance as an independent science nowadays is commonly agreed upon, ..., demands ... a much rmer position at our universities ... ... utmost importance for society ... scientic study of statistics ... needing such education. But what science? Lindgren Fahlbeck vs. Charlier 3 / 14 Introduction Act I Act II The actors The plot Pontus the defender Carl the revolutionary In the right corner: Pontus Fahlbeck (1850-1923), professor in Lund in political science and history (1889), political science and statistics (1902) Statistics is a social science ONLY and the only EXACT social science Deals with masses of people and money Statistical methods DO NOT EXIST Numerical means to reach knowledge EXIST and are needed but they are not statistics Conservative, member First chamber of the Parliament = right Very rich created Fahlbeckska stiftelsen and donated money for a professor in Finland Lindgren Fahlbeck vs. Charlier 4 / 14 Introduction Act I Act II The actors The plot Pontus the defender Carl the revolutionary In the left corner: Carl Vilhelm Ludvig Charlier (1862-1934), professor in astronomy (1897) Statistics is a tool to bring structure to data Created stellar statistics computational sta, numerical calculators Lectured/textbook in mathematical statistics (1905) Statistics deals with masses of anything stars, eligible voters, money, populations, rms, ... (Mathematical) statistics is the tool that empowers the statistician to draw conclusions from his statistical material ... ... just as necessary for the statistician as the knife is for the surgeon radical liberal (member of Verdandi) = left Lindgren Fahlbeck vs. Charlier 5 / 14 Introduction Act I Act II Ille faciet: Sven in the centre Sven Wicksell and astronomy Statistics education in Lund He, who did the job Father: Economist Knut Wicksell, Fil lic in Mathematics, Professor in Political economy Mother: Anna Bugge, A woman ahead of her time - the rst Swedish female diplomate, representative to the League of Nations in Geneva, suragette Sons: Sven and Finn Anna oclt Knut lf/ichsell med sina sdner Saen ocb Finn. Bilden tagen i901 i Lund t samban d nze d profess orsutndmningen. lan sig talade de om den norska froken Bugge som bodde ihop med doce nt Wicksell. Professor Hamilton som mest ldmna ovet en del av sin professur till Knut var svalt viinlig. Hans grevinna, Hamilton var greve, frigade Knut om han fortfarande holl pi sina rysliga id6er om att folk bara skall ha tre "De Lindgren Fahlbeck vs. Charlier 6 / 14 Introduction Act I Act II Sven in the centre Sven Wicksell and astronomy Statistics education in Lund About Sven Dag Wicksell "One day, more than 30 years ago, a young student entered the mathematical auditorium in the main university building. He was wearing sturdy marching boots. ... The September sun glittered in his hair, youthful spirit radiated from his face. He gave a vision of a Norwegian gut paa fjeldet i sol. Thorild Dahlgren, 1939 Lindgren Fahlbeck vs. Charlier 7 / 14 Introduction Act I Act II Sven in the centre Sven Wicksell and astronomy Statistics education in Lund Sven Wicksell an astronomer turns statistician Fil kand 1911 the same day as when his mother, Anna Bugge, nished her Jur kand exam Fil lic 1913 (examination in Astronomy) = course work completed = gives the right to defend a thesis PhD thesis 1915, May 5 (typical Stellar statistics): The general characteristics of the frequency function of stellar movements : as derived from the proper motions of the stars / by Sven D. Wicksell Docent salary from 1916 imminent risk he escapes to Stockholm Lindgren Fahlbeck vs. Charlier 8 / 14 Introduction Act I Act II Sven in the centre Sven Wicksell and astronomy Statistics education in Lund Third world academic in Mathematical statistics Eugeny Slutsky, Lecturer in Mathematical statistics, Kiev, ,.)..,f2. i) ( 'i 'rr )! ) ( { ) J <:Y. t/1 1, r/tly' y'rl,'le|n z"'n**'sa'o't';Ai /r; tA ,'!1,..{t, P,tnl.f ,,'1 lu.+r^t! ,hnrrvr\rrl r" #y.1.{, t', 1913 1' (,,ffi,r,. ,u ltu,;fr';{i^ u&'"u^,:{,i o ti'r*^ gn,r.}L^,,..,.t-4r.,,t t d} {i/r/,c-pog.(- U'l ii:'.t'{ - h.E:'ll Henry L. Reitz, Professor in Mathematical statistics, Chicago, 1913 /; /"g." ,zag-.'tn';L*.^A?94 2)', ,e1/'2;-,"4*' F-J A;'"*-a ,,-o{*,:-- L*',-.22* ^ /-.-2.".2'"/-- "y'*".,r' Oy 2zl> ba'^z-zt '- :& a-g/r/. /r.,bf a"""d'nr"n A.u aLa'ezn F,' v>.Lil-;J;.a ,-t-D:-z-2, a7s /' ,a,r 'Gt4+e//"*f'/".^-/ o/f* /-^ / d'a,' n? ^1, . /2'/'t' eo^ ?a-qt>a*., /,t*q,x / tZ- Sven Wicksell, Docent in Mathematical statistics, Lund, 1915, May 12, by appointmet of the Chancelor of the Swedish 4ta**,rn". fu/A/V*,7 universities Lindgren Fahlbeck vs. Charlier 9 / 14 Introduction Act I Act II Sven in the centre Sven Wicksell and astronomy Statistics education in Lund Formal programs Wicksell set up formal study programs both in statistics and in mathematical statistics Statistics became a regular subject 1918 Mathematical statistics students had to obtain special permission to include the topic in an exam, became a regular subject 1961 Lindgren Fahlbeck vs. Charlier 10 / 14 Introduction Act I Act II From little to something Wallengren Wicksell How ll the need for statistics in Lund? 1907: Need for statistics recognized by the government 1909: Also in Lund but best to wait to see what happens in Uppsala 1910: Gustav Sundbärg professor in Statistics in Uppsala 1912: Fahlbeck to retire soon should there be a Statistics professor? 1912: Fahlbeck statistics or Charlier statistics??? 1913: Disagreement! I History professor Clason: strong emphasis on mathematics will jeopardise reqruitment I Economist Knut Wicksell: Of course statistics must include mathematical statistics 1914: Parliament says NO to a professor in Lund too much quarrel 1915: Sigfrid Wallengren to replace Fahlbeck as professor in Political science and statistics Lindgren Fahlbeck vs. Charlier 11 / 14 Introduction Act I Act II From little to something Wallengren Wicksell Sigfrid Wallengren (1876-1927) New professor in political science and statistics 1915-1927 Had little time for statistics Tage Erlander, Swedish prime minister 1946-1969, studied statistics and mathematical statistics How get time for an oral examination with Wallengren? Wrote about Pontus Fahlbeck's view on statistics: To what extent he was too strict to limit the use of higher mathematics in statistics ... must be left to the debate of the specialists : Lindgren Fahlbeck vs. Charlier 12 / 14 Introduction Act I Act II From little to something Wallengren Wicksell Sven Wicksell professor in Statistics 1915-1925: Sven Wicksell responsible for statistics in Lund 1915-1927: Sigfrid Wallengren professor in ... and statistics 1926: Parliament gives money for a professor in statistics in Lund Wicksell was summoned to the chair superior to any Swedish man who could reasonably be considered for the position 1929: Department of Statistics established 1939: Wicksell dies, Carl-Erik Quensel new professor (1941) 1959: Gunnar Blom appointed to the dormant docent position in Mathematicsl statistics Lindgren Fahlbeck vs. Charlier 13 / 14 Introduction Act I Act II From little to something Wallengren Wicksell Some more details Peter Guttorp & Georg Lindgren: Why distinguish between statistics and mathematical statistics? The case of Swedish academia. (2015) Lindgren Fahlbeck vs. Charlier 14 / 14
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