Some game theory anecdotes

After 1944, economists learned about Johnny von Neumann's two-person zero-s um game theory and Nash's non-cooperative game solution. The present discus sion links the Nash analysis back to much earlier 1838 Cournot duopoly theo ry. And it links the von Neumann breakthrough to earlier and independent pe rceptions of how randomization provides existent minimax solution to a two- person zero-sum game. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.