
Unknown author · Public domain
George Dantzig
American mathematician
1914 – 2005aged 90
Dantzig developed the simplex algorithm, the method that made linear programming a practical tool for planning and resource allocation across industry, logistics, and economics. He once famously solved two open problems in statistical theory after mistaking them, arriving late to a lecture, for ordinary homework. He spent his later career at Stanford as a professor of operations research and computer science.