‘Continental Classroom’:
Mosteller’s Probability
and Statistics TV Show
Iowa State University
Library). The reel-to-reel
tapes were recently converted
to electronic format to better
preserve them for prosperity
and to assist researchers visiting
the collection.
Mosteller wrote about
In these screen shots of an episode of his experience with the
“Continental Classroom,” which aired on “Continental Classroom” program in an
NBC in the 1950s, Fred Mosteller teaches article published in the December 1962
probability and statistics.
issue of The American Statistician (avail-
able through JSTOR). He also reflected on
his experiences on the television show in an
“
C
ontinental Classroom” was interview with David S. Moore, which was
the first nationwide effort at published in the July 1993 issue of Journal
distance learning. In the late of Statistics Education, www.amstat.org/
1950s, NBC began broadcasting a publications/jse/v1n1/moore.html.
four-year series on physics, chemis- “Continental Classroom” was designed
try, mathematics, and government. to use commercial channels to teach
The mathematics year consisted of an university-level academic subjects and
algebra and a probability and statistics had an audience of approximately half
strand taught by the late Fred Mosteller a million regular viewers, among them
of Harvard University. 5,000 teachers who received credit for
Probably the only remaining cop- the course at 270 institutions.
ies of the probability and statistics Questions about the ASA archives
videos are contained in the ASA archives should be directed to the Committee on
(American Statistical Association Records, ASA Archives and Historical Material staff
MS 349, Special Collection Department, liaison, Rick Peterson, at rick@amstat.org. n
AUGUST 2008 AMSTAT NEWS 19
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