History of Mathematical Programming

Book excerpt: The historical span of mathematical programming, from its conception to its present flourishing state is remarkably short. The 1940's and 1950's were an exciting period when there was a great deal of research activity, but the growth of the field during the 1960's and 1970's worldwide already appears to be of historical interest too, because much of the progress during that time has had an important influence on present-day research. In this volume some pioneers of the field, as well as some prominent younger colleagues, have put their personal recollections in writing. The contributions bear witness to a time of impressive scientific progress, in which the rich new field of mathematical programming was detected and brought up.