The American Mathematical Society and Applied Mathematics from the 1920s to the 1950s: A Revisionist Account

Abstract

The “standard” historical narrative has it that: 1) applied mathematics emerged as an academic discipline in the United States only after, and as a result of, World War II; and 2) a major factor in this emergence was the presence of European émigré mathematicians. While this standard narrative is not wrong, it masks a key part of the picture, namely, the foundation for this development was laid within the context of the American Mathematical Society in the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s.