OR/MS Today - October 2002 Operations Research 50th Anniversary Side Story: Great Moments in HistORy Compiled by Saul I. Gass Editor's note: A version of this timeline appears on the CD included in copies of this special anniversary issue mailed to INFORMS members. Plans are underway to publish an annotated version of the timeline. The timeline that begins below and continues on pages 33,35 and 37 has been edited for length, and does not include many milestones that appear on the CD version. Gass, a past president of ORSA whose career in operations dates back to 1952 — the year ORSA was founded — notes that even the longer CD version "is a work in progress," and that "some items and dates may be incorrectly stated, some items may be missing, and the inclusion of some items may be debatable." Gass (sgass@rhsmith.umd.edu), who retired from the University of Maryland last year as the Dean's Lifetime Achievement Professor at the Robert H. Smith School of Business, welcomes comments and suggestions. He thanks Arjang Assad (University of Maryland) and Don Gross (George Washington University) for their review, comments and suggestions. 1654   Expected value, B. Pascal 1665   Newton's Method for finding a minimum solution of a function, I. Newton 1733   First appearance of the normal distribution, A. de Moivre 1736   Königsberg Bridge Problem, L. Euler 1738   St. Petersburg Problem, D. Bernoulli 1763   Bayes Rule, T. Bayes 1788   Lagrangian multipliers, Mécanique Analytique, J. L. Lagrange 1789   Principle of utility, J. Bentham 1795   Method of Least Squares, C. F. Gauss, A. Legendre 1811   Kriegspiel (war gaming), von Reisswitz 1826   Solution of inequalities, J. Fourier 1826   Solution of linear equations, C. F. Gauss 1833   Analytical Engine, C. Babbage 1890   Scientific management, F. Taylor 1900   Gantt Charts, H. Gantt, F. Taylor 1902   Solution of inequality systems, J. Farkas 1906   Pareto optimal/Efficient solution, V. Pareto 1907   Markov chains, A. Markov 1909   "The Theory of Probabilities and Telephone Conversations," A. K. Erlang 1914   Lanchester's Equations, F. W. Lanchester 1915   Positive solution to linear equations, E. Stiemke 1928   "Probability Theory and Its Engineering Uses," T. C. Fry 1930   Econometric Society founded 1931   Quality control charts, W. Shewart 1933   Hypothesis testing, J. Neyman, E. Pearson 1936   Transposition Theorem, linear inequalities, T. Motzkin 1936   Facility location, E. Weiszfeld aka A. Vazsonyi 1936   Time Zero: British military applications — The term "operational research" first used 1939   "Mathematical Methods of Organization and Planning Production," L. V. Kantorovich 1939   Optimality condition for constrained problems, W. Karush 1941   Transportation Problem, F. L. Hitchcock 1942   U.K. Naval Operational Research, P. Blackett 1942   U. S. Navy Antisubmarine Warfare Operations Research Group 1942   U. S. Air Force Operations Research 1942   Search theory, P. Morse, R. Rinehart, B. Koopman, G. Kimball 1943   Neural networks, W. McCulloch, W. Pitts 1944   "Theory of Games and Economic Behavior," J. von Neumann, O. Morgenstern 1944   Utility theory, J. von Neumann, O. Morgenstern 1944   Exponential smoothing, R. Brown 1945   U. S. Navy Operations Evaluation Group (OEG) 1945   "The Cost of Subsistence" (Diet Problem), G. Stigler 1946   "Methods of Operations Research," OEG Report (Classified), P.M. Morse , G. E. Kimball 1947   Linear programming model, G. B. Dantzig 1947   Simplex method, G. B. Dantzig 1947   Project SCOOP (U.S. Air Force Scientific Computation of Optimal Programs) 1947   "Theory of Games and Economic Behavior, 2nd edition," J. von Neumann, O. Morgenstern 1948   The RAND Corporation 1948   Johns Hopkins U. S. Army Operations Research Office (ORO) 1948   First courses in OR at MIT 1948   Operational Research Club of Great Britain 1949   Monte Carlo simulation, S. M. Ulam, J. von Neumann 1949   "Programming of Inter-Dependent Activities I, General Discussion," M. Wood, G. Dantzig. 1949   "Programming of Inter-Dependent Activities II, Mathematical Model," G. Dantzig 1949   "Dynamic Equipment Policy," G. Terborgh 1949   Cowles Commission conference on "Activity Analysis of Production and Allocation" 1950   Quality control, W. E. Deming 1950   The first OR journal: Operational Research Quarterly 1950   Nash equilibrium, J. Nash 1950   Simulation/War Games 1950   Decision analysis, W. Edwards, R. Luce, H. Raiffa, R. Howard, R. Keeney 1950   "An Introduction to Probability Theory and Its Applications, Vol. I," W. Feller 1950   Dynamic programming, R. Bellman 1950   Shortest-path problem 1950   Simulation/War games 1950   OR in industrial sector: British Iron and Steel Industry Research Association 1950   First solution of the transportation problem on a computer, SEAC, National Bureau of Standards 1951   Unclassified version of "Methods of Operations Research," P. M. Morse, G. E. Kimball 1951   First computer-based simplex algorithm, SEAC, National Bureau of Standards 1951   First Symposium on "Linear Inequalities and Programming" 1951   "Analysis of Production and Allocation," Koopmans, T. C. (ed.) 1951   "The Structure of the American Economy," (Interindustry Economics), W. Leontief 1951   "Nonlinear Programming," (optimality condition for constrained problems), H. Kuhn, A. Tucker 1951   "Maximization of a Linear Function of Variables Subject to Linear Inequalities," (Simplex Method), G. Dantzig 1951   "Application of the Simplex Method to a Transportation Problem," G. Dantzig 1951   "A Proof of the Equivalence of the Programming Problem and the Game Problem," G. Dantzig 1951   Naval Post Graduate School OR program 1951   "Study of Negro Manpower in Army," Johns Hopkins Operations Research Office 1951   Primal-dual linear programs, J. von Neumann, G. Dantzig, A. Tucker 1952   Operations Research, first U. S. OR journal, 1952   Operations Research Society of America (ORSA) founded 1952   Portfolio analysis, H. Markowitz 1952   First degree program (MA and Ph.D.) formed at Case Institute of Technology, Cleveland, Ohio 1952   "Introduction to the Theory of Games," J. McKinsey 1952   Blending Aviation Gasoline, A. Charnes , W. W. Cooper, B. Mellon 1952   UNIVAC I installed in the Pentagon to solve U.S. Air Force linear-programming problems 1953   The Institute of Management Sciences (TIMS) founded 1953   "The Theory of Inventory Management," T. Whitin 1953   Operational Research Society (UK) founded 1953   "An Introduction to Linear Programming," A. Charnes, W.W. Cooper, A. Henderson, 1953   Alternate Algorithm for the Revised Simplex Method: Using a Product Form of the Inverse, G. Dantzig, W. Orchard-Hays. 1954   "Traffic Delays at Toll Booths," L. C. Edie 1954   Parametric programming , S. I. Gass, T. L. Saaty 1954   "Operations Research for Management," J. McCloskey, F. Trefethen (eds.) 1954   "The Compleat Strategyst," J. Williams 1954   Naval Research Logistics Quarterly established 1954   FORTRAN programming language, J. Backus, I. Ziller 1954   Sequencing and scheduling (Johnson's Theorem), S. Johnson 1954   Dual simplex method, C. Lemke, E. Beale 1954   First ORSA Frederick W. Lanchester Prize to L. C. Edie 1955   Military Battle Models 1955   Traveling salesman problem, M. Flood 1955   Bounded rationality/Satisficing, H. Simon 1955   Stochastic programming, G. B. Dantzig 1955   Operations Research Center at MIT, P. Morse 1956   Trim (cutting stock) problem, A. E. Paull 1956   CPM/PERT/MPM, J. Kelley, Jr., W. Walker/D. Malcolm, J. Roseboom, C. C. Fazar/B. Roy 1956   "The Theory of Games and Linear Programming," S. Vajda, 1956   Quadratic programming, M. Frank, P. Wolfe 1957   First International Conference on OR, Oxford 1957   Quadratic assignment problem, T. C. Koopmans, M. Beckmann 1957   "Introduction to Operations Research," C. Churchman, E. Arnoff, R. Ackoff 1957   "Dynamic Programming," R. Bellman 1957   "Games and Decisions: Introduction and Critical Survey," R. D. Luce, H. Raiffa 1957   Proceedings of the First International Conference on Operational Research, M. Davies, R. T. Eddison, T. Page (eds.) 1958   "Linear Programming and Associated Techniques: A Comprehensive Bibliography," V. Riley, S. I. Gass 1958   SIMSCRIPT, H. Markowitz 1958   "Linear Programming: Methods and Applications," S. I. Gass 1958   "Scientific Programming in Business and Industry," A. Vazsonyi 1958   Integer programming, R. Gomory 1958   "Queues, Inventory and Maintenance," P. M. Morse 1958   "Linear Programming and Economic Analysis," R. Dorfman, P. A. Samuelson, R. Solow 1959   Chance-Constrained Programming, A. Charnes, W. Cooper 1959   Dantzig-Wolfe Decomposition, G. B. Dantzig, P. Wolfe 1959   "Mathematical Methods of Operations Research," T. Saaty 1959   Shortest-route problem, E. Dijkstra 1959   International Federation of Operational Research Societies (IFORS) 1959   "Mathematical Methods and Theory in Games, Programming and Economics," I, II, S. Karlin 1960   Branch and Bound, A. Land, A. Doig, R. Dakin, J. Little, K. Murty, D. Sweeney, C. Karel 1960   Facilities location 1960   Cost effectiveness analysis 1960   Value Theory, P. Fishburn 1960   Planning, Programming and Budgeting (PPB) 1960   Artificial Intelligence and OR 1960   Decision trees 1960   Vehicle traffic science, R. Herman, D. Gazis, G. Newell, R. Oliver, I. Prigogine 1960   "Stochastic Processes," L. Takács 1960   "Finite Markov Chains," J. G. Kemeny, J. Laurie Snell 1960   "Dynamic Programming and Markov Processes," R. A. Howard 1960   "Planning Production, Inventories, and Work Force," C. Holt, F. Modigliani, J. Muth, H. Simon 1961   GPSS/simulation languages, G. Gordon 1961   "Elements of Queueing Theory," T.L. Saaty 1961   "Queues," D. Cox and W. Smith 1961   Research Analysis Corporation (RAC) 1961   "Industrial Dynamics," J. Forrester 1961   Little's Law, J. Little 1961   Packet switching theory, L. Kleinrock 1961   Geometric programming, C. Zener 1962   Benders Partitioning Method, J. Benders 1962   Chinese Postman's Problem, M. K. Kwan 1962   "Renewal Theory," D. Cox 1962   "Flows in Networks," L. Ford, Jr., D. Fulkerson 1962   "Smoothing, Forecasting and Prediction of Discrete Time Series," R. Brown 1962   Fuzzy set theory, L. Zadeh 1962   Center for Naval Analyses 1963   "Analysis of Inventory Systems," G. Hadley and T. Whitin 1963   "Linear Programming and Extensions," G. Dantzig, 1963   Implicit enumeration/additive algorithm, E. Balas, A. Geoffrion 1964   Social welfare function, Impossibility theorem, K. Arrow 1964   "Analysis for Military Decisions," E. S. Quade (ed.) 1964   Vehicle routing savings algorithm, Clarke and Wright 1965   "Management Models and Industrial Applications of Linear Programming," A. Charnes, W. W. Cooper 1965   Complexity theory, NP-Complete, J. Edmonds, R. Karp 1965   Goal programming, A. Charnes, W. Cooper 1965   The knapsack problem, G. B. Dantzig 1965   Political redistricting, S. Hess, J. Weaver, H. Seigfeldt, J. Whelan, P. Zitlau 1966   "A First Course in Stochastic Processes," S. Karlin 1967   "Introduction to Operations Research," F. Hillier, G. Lieberman 1967   "Theory of Scheduling," R. Conway, W. Maxwell, L. Miller 1967   Criminal Justice: Crime Commission Science and Technology Task Force, A. Blumstein 1968   Surrogate constraints, F. Glover 1968   "Nonlinear Programming: Sequential Unconstrained Minimization Techniques," A. Fiacco, G. McCormick 1968   Metric (Multi-Echelon Technique for Recoverable Item Control), C. Sherbrooke 1968   Decision Analysis, R. Howard 1969   Advertising, J. Little, L. Lodish 1969   "Principles of Operations Research," H. Wagner 1969   "System Simulation," G. Gordon 1969   First ARPANET/INTERNET site at UCLA, L. Kleinrock 1970   "Time Series Analysis," G. Box, G. Jenkins 1971   "Marketing Decision Making: A Model Building Approach," P. Kotler 1971   ORSA's journal OR/SA Today established 1971   "World Dynamics," J. Forrester 1971   Computational complexity, S. A. Cook, R. Karp 1972   "Limits to Growth," D. Meadows et al. 1972   International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) 1972   Soft systems methodologies, P. Checkland 1972   First Franz Edelman Award for Management Science Achievement presented to The Pillsbury Company 1973   Decision Support Systems (DSS), P. Keen, S. Morton 1974   Hypercube queueing model, R. C. Larson 1974   OR established in Federal Express 1974   First joint ORSA and TIMS meeting 1974   OR/MS Today established (first joint ORSA/TIMS publication) 1974   TIMS's Interfaces becomes joint publication of TIMS and ORSA 1974   SLAM, GASP/Simulation Languages, A. Pritsker 1974   "Fundamentals of Queueing Theory," D. Gross, C. Harris 1975   Multicriteria Decision Making, M. Zeleny, S. Zionts, J. Wallenius, W. Edwards, B. Roy 1975   First von Neumann Prize (ORSA) to George B. Dantzig 1975   "Analysis for Public Decisions," E. Quade 1975   "Queueing Systems, Vol. I: Theory," L. Kleinrock 1976   "Queueing Systems, Vol. II: Computer Applications," L. Kleinrock 1976   "Decisions with Multiple Objectives: Preferences and Value Tradeoffs," R. Keeney, H. Raiffa 1976   "Models in the Public Policy," M. Greenberger, M. Crenson, B. Crissey 1976   Quality control, G. Taguchi 1977   "Models for Public Systems Analysis," E. Beltrami 1978   Data envelopment analysis (DEA), A. Charnes, W. Cooper, E. Rhodes 1978   Lagrangian relaxation, A. Geoffrion 1979   Ellipsoid method, L. Khachian 1979   "Airline Safety: An Empirical Study," A. Barnett, M. Abraham, V. Schimmel 1980   Spreadsheet OR add-in software 1980   Constraint programming 1980   "The Analytic Hierarchy Process," T. Saaty 1980   Parallel computing 1980   LINDO, L. Schrage 1980   Conflict analysis 1980   Revenue (yield) management, American Airlines, T. Cook 1981   "Urban Operations Research," R. C. Larson, A. Odoni 1982   Expert systems, A. Barr, E. Fiegenbaum 1982   Simulated annealing, W. Metropolis 1984   Neural networks, J. Hopfield 1984   Interior point methods, N. Karmarkar 1984   "What's Best", S. Savage, K. Cunnigham, G. Link 1985   Airline crew and aircraft scheduling 1985   "Handbook of Systems Analysis: Craft Issues and Procedural Choices," H. Miser, E. Quade 1988   American Airlines Decision Technologies, T. Cook 1988   General Algebraic Modeling System/GAMS, A. Meeraus 1989   Tabu search, F. Glover 1990   Supply chain management 1990   Financial engineering, W. Ziemba, S. Zenios, J. Mulvey 1990   Geographical information systems 1991   OR and Persian Gulf War 1994   Network-Enabled Optimization System (NEOS) 1995   Data Mining 1995   INFORMS formed by merger of ORSA and TIMS 1995   Online Analytical Processing (OLAP) 1995   Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) 1995   INFORMS Online 1996   "Encyclopedia of Operations Research and Management Science," S. Gass, C. Harris 1996   e-Commerce 1996   Center for Excellence in Aviation Operations Research (Berkeley, MIT, U of MD, VPI&SU) 2000   50th anniversary of the publication of the Journal of Operational Research 2001   50th anniversary of the OR program at the Naval Post Graduate School 2002   50th anniversary of the founding of ORSA • Return to the main story: History in the Making Table of Contents OR/MS Today Home Page OR/MS Today copyright © 2002 by the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences. All rights reserved. Lionheart Publishing, Inc. 506 Roswell Rd., Suite 220, Marietta, GA 30060 USA Phone: 770-431-0867 | Fax: 770-432-6969 E-mail: lpi@lionhrtpub.com URL: http://www.lionhrtpub.com Web Site © Copyright 2002 by Lionheart Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.