1840
Originally called the American Statistical Society, the organization’s name was changed to the American Statistical Association (ASA) at its first annual meeting, held in Boston on February 5, 1840.
1844
The association resolved that a petition be sent to Congress to revise the sixth Census. During the meeting on February 7, 1844, the association members voted to petition Congress to revise the 1840 Census to create a new and accurate copy to be published. The appointed committee drew up a “Memorial of the American Statistical Association Praying the Adoption of Measures for the Correction of Errors in the Returns of the Six Census,” which was submitted to the House of Representatives by John Quincy Adams. Secretary of State John Calhoun reported that a “careful examination of the statistics” had been made and the returns were not revised.
1914
ASA celebrated its 75th anniversary. John Koren, president of the ASA from 1913–1914, spoke at the association’s annual meeting on February 13, 1914, in Boston. “Perhaps statistics will always remain the plaything of some immature minds, and be used by others as a convenient spring-board from which to jump at fallacious conclusions. But if the past carries any assurance of the future, may we not look forward to a time when the profession of statistics shall have come fully into its own, and when it will be recognized that the instrument at its hands has but the supreme purpose of searching for and diffusing human knowledge?”
To read the entire speech in The History of Statistics: Their Development and Progress in Many Countries, visit the Library of Congress.
1974
The American Statistical Association passed a series of resolutions to oppose discrimination based on gender. In the February issue of Amstat News, a series of resolutions were published that stated the association is opposed to discrimination on the basis of sex or family status, in regards to job assignment, job security, work facilities, salary, fringe benefits, or other aspects of employment of statisticians. The four resolutions—passed during the December 1973 meeting in New York City—were submitted by the ASA Committee on Women in Statistics.
2012
The ASA held its first Conference on Statistical Practice in Orlando, Florida. The conference was designed to aid applied statisticians in improving their abilities in consulting with and helping customers and organizations solve real-world problems.
February Birthdays
Francis Galton, Sir Ronald A. Fisher, Lambert Adolphe, Jacques Quetelet
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