Antedating of "Bell Curve"

[Wilson Gray]

On Apr 7, 2005, at 4:19 PM, Fred Shapiro wrote:

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Fred Shapiro <fred.shapiro at YALE.EDU>
> Subject:      Antedating of "Bell Curve"
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>
> bell curve (OED 1970)
>
> Within recent years a tendency has developed to require that the
> distribution of efficiency ratings shall conform to the normal
> frequency
> or bell curve of distribution.
>         Lewis Meriam, Public Personnel Problems from the Standpoint of
> the
>         Operating Officer 50 (1938) (Questia)
>
> Fred Shapiro

Good eye, Fred! The term has to be older than 1970. People were already
talking about the bell curve, breaking the curve, and curve-breakers
when I was in high school in the '50's.

-Wilson

>
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