10 Facts About the Origins of Operations Research

Lately, I have been learning about the history of artificial intelligence (AI) and the role that operations research (O.R.) has played in the development of AI. This prompted me to look into the history of O.R. As we think about what impact we would like O.R. to have on the world, it can be helpful to look to the past for guidance and inspiration.

The article “A History of Operations Research” by Florence N. Trefethen published in 1954 in the book “Operations Research for Management” [1], chronicles the history of O.R., mostly focusing on advances in the United States and British military during World War II and soon after. The chapter is full of many interesting tidbits, and I wanted to share 10 of them here.

1. By World War I, operations research was in its early phases in both the British and the U.S. militaries.
2. The British army started using O.R. near the onset of World War II in 1939 in Europe. Professor P.M.S. Blackett led a team called “Blackett’s circus” to tackle operational problems using a mixed-team approach with members from the physical sciences, mathematics, statistics and biology.
3. By Victory in Europe (V-E) Day, 365 scientists had engaged in operational research for the British army.
4. James B. Conant (whom my high school in suburban Chicago was named after) became aware of O.R. within the British army in 1940. Within months, both the U.S. Army and Navy had O.R. teams. (Side note: Conant is a chemist known for being a visionary president of Harvard University and thought leader in higher education. I thought it was fascinating that he also played a role in operations research.)
5. Philip McCord Morse started the first operations research team for the U.S. Navy, originally consisting of seven scientists. By the end of WWII, the group consisted of 73 scientists.
6. Operations research became popular throughout the entire U.S. military, so much so that on October 24, 1942, General Arnold required all Air Force generals to include O.R. teams within their analysis groups. By Victory in Japan (V-J) Day, there were 26 O.R. groups at Air Force headquarters, with an average of 10 analysts per team, as well as other teams within the Army and Navy. The O.R. teams comprised physical scientists, mathematicians and biologists. Despite the focus on decision-making, psychologists were generally not part of the teams.
7. Operations research teams made numerous contributions to war efforts. Their contributions were in developing data-driven predictions associated with various military courses of action. The most valued contributions were in searching out enemy ships and submarines.
8. After WWII, the concept of applying the techniques from military operations research to business operations flourished in both the U.K. and U.S. The transition was smooth due to practices and attitudes that were receptive to types of analysis used by the military O.R. teams.
9. Massachusetts Institute of Technology offered the first course on operations research in 1948, focusing on nonmilitary applications.
10. The first university degree in operations research was a Master of Science degree offered by Case Institute of Technology in Ohio (now Case Western Reserve University).

I enjoyed this quote from the chapter, which highlights the role of systems thinking to support making good, interconnected decisions:

“The consideration of a problem in terms of its relationship to an entire operation, making necessary the study of additional, operationally-related problems, was, probably, the one achievement which most clearly distinguished World War II operational research from earlier research activities.” 

Being aware of this history can shape our appreciation of the O.R. community’s achievements as well as our vision for the future [2].

Reference and Note

1. Florence N. Trefethen, 1954, “A History of Operations Research,” in Joseph F. McCloskey and Florence N. Trefethen (eds.), Operations Research for Management, Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, pp. 3-35.
2. Articles and resources about the origins of operations research: https://www.informs.org/Explore/History-of-O.R.-Excellence/Bibliographies/The-Origins-of-OR