Nonparametrics: The Early Years-Impressions and Recollections

In 1942 Wolfowitz introduced the term nonparametric into the statistical literature to call attention to the need for extending then-existing statistical theory beyond the customary parametric framework. Subsequently, statistical methods that did not depend on a strictly parametric setup became known as nonparametric methods. This article surveys developments in nonparametrics roughly up to 1960. The suggestion is made that statistics might be better served by eliminating the term nonparametric altogether from the statistical vocabulary.