Francis Galton was born February 16, 1822 near Birmingham, England. He studied at Birmingham and London Colleges, and Cambridge University, but left before earning a degree in order to travel. Galton was the cousin of Charles Darwin and is best known for his studies of heredity and human intelligence. His book Hereditary Genius was published in 1869. Galton was the father of the field of eugenics.
In probability, Galton proved that a normal mixture of normal distributions is itself normal. In statistics, he formulated the concept of regression to mediocrity, studying family resemblances. Galton also developed questionnaire and survey methods for gathering data. The pinball device with the triangular array of pegs was described in his book Natural Inheritance, published in 1889. He called the device a quincunx, but it is now known as the Galton board in his honor.
Galton elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1860 and received the society's Copley Medal in 1910. He was knighted in 1909. Galton died on January 17, 1911 near Surrey, England.