From the determination of planetary orbits to modern statistics: Carl Friedrich Gauß\ -- work and impact (Q2500799)

This is an essay on Gauss' decisive role in the discovery and development of the method of least squares with a short description of further pertinent events from Laplace to modern findings. The author believes that Gauss was the first who ``die eingangs gegebene Begriffsbestimmung des mathematischen Statistikers voll erfüllte''. He does not refer to my much more detailed papers. Discovery of the principle of least squares [``Hist. Scientiarum'' 8, 249--164 (1999; Zbl 0977.01015)] and ``Gauß\ and the method of least squares'' [Jbuch Nationalökonomie Statistik 219, 458--467 (1999)] and some of his statements should be commented upon. Thus, it is doubtful that Gauss knew De Moivre's derivation of the normal law and Laplace had not at all proved (several versions of) the central limit theorem rigorously. Finally, the author refers to S. M. Stigler but passes over in silence his dreadful and slandering accusations such as ``Gauss solicited reluctant testimony from friends that he had told them of the method (of least squares) before 1805'', see his ``History of Statistics''. Cambridge MA, 1986 (not 1981 as cited by the author), Belknap Press, p. 145.