The Lady Tasting Tea

An insightful, revealing history of the magical mathematics that transformed our world.
At a summer tea party in Cambridge, England, a guest states that tea poured into milk tastes different from milk poured into tea. Her notion is shouted down by the scientific minds of the group. But one man, Ronald Fisher, proposes to scientifically test the hypothesis. There is no better person to conduct such an experiment, for Fisher is a pioneer in the field of statistics.
"The Lady Tasting Tea" spotlights not only Fisher's theories but also the revolutionary ideas of dozens of men and women which affect our modern everyday lives. Writing with verve and wit, David Salsburg traces breakthroughs ranging from the rise and fall of Karl Pearson's theories to the methods of quality control that rebuilt postwar Japan's economy, including a pivotal early study on the capacity of a small beer cask at the Guinness brewing factory. Brimming with intriguing tidbits and colorful characters, "The Lady Tasting Tea" salutes the spirit of those who dared to look at the world in a new way.
David Salsburg is a retired pharmaceutical company statistician and currently works as a private consultant. He has been a member of the American Statistics Association since 1964 and has taught at Harvard, Connecticut College, the University of Connecticut, the University of Pennsylvania, Rhode Island College, and Trinity College. During his latter years of teaching, Salsburg became Senior Research Fellow at Pfizer, Inc., in the Central Research Department.
At a summer tea party in Cambridge, England, a lady states that tea poured into milk tastes differently than that of milk poured into tea. Her notion is shouted down by the scientific minds of the group. But one guest, by the name Ronald Aylmer Fisher, proposes to scientifically test the lady's hypothesis. There was no better person to conduct such a test, for Fisher had brought to the field of statistics an emphasis on controlling the methods for obtaining data and the importance of interpretation. He knew that how the data was gathered and applied was as important as the data themselves.
In "The Lady Tasting Tea, " readers will encounter not only Ronald Fisher's theories (and their repercussions), but the ideas of dozens of men and women whose revolutionary work affects our everyday lives. Salsburg traces the rise and fall of Karl Pearson's theories, explores W. Edwards Deming's statistical methods of quality control (which rebuilt postwar Japan's economy), and relates the story of Stella Cunliff's early work on the capacity of small beer casks at the Guinness brewing factory." The Lady Tasting Tea" is not a book of dry facts and figures, but the history of great individuals who dared to look at the world in a new way.
"If you have ever been exposed to the statistical activities that permeate science, you will be fascinated by this book. Highly readable, well-written prose that avoids mathematical symbols and intricacies . . . Get the book for your own educational pleasure, or give it to someone you want to delight."--Alvan R. Feinstein, M.D., Sterling Professor of Medicine and Epidemiology, Yale University School of Medicine
"Salsburg's book is the story of statistical theory in the 20th century, its time of triumph, and of the mathematical/scientific geniuses who made it happen. He writes with both experience and insight, and with a happy lack of technical barriers between the reader and his subject. Particularly well told is the story of Ronald Fisher, the double genius who founded both mathematical statistics and mathematical genetics. If scientists were judged by their influence on science then Fisher would rank with Einstein and Pauling at the top of the modern ladder."--Brad Efron, Professor of Statistics, Stanford University
"A thoroughly delightful read . . . A charming collection of vignettes about those who created and sustained twentieth century statistics . . . woven together with the historical development of the statistics and in the context of the history of the times. Such characters as Cornfield, Deming, Lindeberg, Tukey, Wilcoxon, and Wilks are introduced as interesting personalities and contributors to their craft . . . "The Lady Tasting Tea" will stand as a terrific read for all whose interest in statistics extends beyond the equations and envelopes the personalities, the problems, and the paradigms in the century when it all began."--Chris Olsen, "Journal of the American Statistical Association"
"If you have ever been exposed to the statistical activities that permeate science, you will be fascinated by this book. Highly readable, well-written prose that avoids mathematical symbols and intricacies . . . Get the book for your own educational pleasure, or give it to someone you want to delight."--Alvan R. Feinstein, M.D., Sterling Professor of Medicine and Epidemiology, Yale University School of Medicine
"A host of fascinating stories . . . Mr. Salsburg has an encyclopedic command of the anecdotes about statisticians."--"The Washington Times"
"Thanks to Mr. Salsburg, readers delight in . . . the story of twentieth century science that] unfolds, smoothly as a cup of sweet, milky tea."--"The Dallas Morning News"
"A fascinating description of the kinds of people who interacted, collaborated, disagreed, and were brilliant in the development of statistics."--Barbara A. Bailar, Senior Vice-President, National Opinion Research Center
"Salsburg . . . creates an important, near-complete chapter in the social history of science."--"Publisher's Weekly"
"Entertaining . . . The pleasures of the book emerge easily . . . and the end result is both educational and fun."--"Nature Medicine"
""The Lady Tasting Tea "is a delightful introduction to the pioneers of 20th-century statistics . . . Salsburg describes the careers, contributions, and foibles of people whose names are common eponyms in biomedical articles