2. February Is Black History Month A Salute

3.   From Jackie Robinson to Tiger Woods, Harriet Tubman to David Blackwell, Black History Month pays tribute to inspirational African Americans from the past, as well as those who will continue to make history well into the future.   Credited to a Harvard scholar, Carter G. Woodson.   He chose the second week of February in honor of the birthdays of pivotal black supporters Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln.

4. David Blackwell Born: April 24 1919 In Centralia, Illinois, USA   David Blackwell is, to mathematicians, the most famous, perhaps greatest, African American Mathematician.   He received his Ph.D. in Master of Arts in Mathematics by the age of 22!!!

5. David Blackwell   Early in his mathematics he had mixed reactions to it “I could do it and could see that it was useful, but it wasn’t really exciting.”   A high school teacher sparked his initial interest in geometry   He applied his growing interest in mathematics to games such as noughts and crosses.

6. Noughts and Crosses = TIC-TAC-TOE

7. Game theory is a fascinating subject that has been studied by great mathematicians and has its roots… …back to Talmud of the Babylonians, which was a compilation of ancient law and tradition set down by the Jews during the first five centuries A.D. …back to Talmud of the Babylonians, which was a compilation of ancient law and tradition set down by the Jews during the first five centuries A.D. (500-0 A.D.)

8. All types of “games” have been studied in One of Blackwell's Initial Interest was of a game of two duellists.

9. The Cold War promoted interest in this type of game; Blackwell soon became a leading expert, a valuable resource.

10. CHESS :

11. Poker :

12. Baseball :

13. Psychological games played on a personal level, where the weapons are words, and the payoffs are good or bad feelings.

14. In competition between business firms In competition between business firms Conflict between management and labor Conflict between management and labor The fight to get bills through Congress The fight to get bills through Congress War and peace negotiations between countries War and peace negotiations between countries … all provide examples of games in action. … all provide examples of games in action.

15. One of David Blackwell's contributions to mathematics and in general game theory was Infinite games. 8 Games that go on forever; there is no finish line.

16. Economics :

17. Game Theory has emerged recently as a powerful challenger to the conventional method of examining economics. The main purpose of game theory is to consider situations where instead of players making decisions as reactions to exogenous situations their decisions are strategic reactions to other agents actions ("live variables"). An agent is faced with a set of moves he can play and will form a strategy, a best response to his environment, which he will play by.

18. Another famous mathematician who studied this field of mathematics was John Nash Ph.D. The real deal:Holloywood’s version: Russel Crow Best Picture in 2001

19. Thank You! David Blackwell We Salute you! He is the first and only African American to be any one of: a member of the National Academy of Sciences, a President of the American Statistical Society, and a Vice President of the America Mathematics Society.