Gottfried Achenwall

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Gottfried Achenwall

1719-1772

German mathematician and political scientist who coined the term "statistics." Achenwall's use of the term, however, referred strictly to the comprehensive summation of a nation's political, economic, and social aspects. Since then, the term and field of statistics have expanded substantially to include virtually all fields of inquiry, attaining great significance in science, politics, economics, actuarial science, and many other disciplines.