FiveThirtyEight Signals

Finding a date by computer is pretty common. Not so in 1965, when a Harvard math whiz came along with an idea to harness technology in a way that was so big, so fresh, that it could change the game entirely.

Is there an answer to the epic four-year drought that has befallen California? It may be found in the rings of trees studied by Dan Griffin, the subject of this piece in ESPN Films' Collectors series.

1998. Minnesota. A heated race is taking place for the empty Governor's chair between District Attorney and Democratic nominee Hubert H. Humphrey III, Republican nomineeand current Mayor of St. Paul Norm Coleman and a third candidate, the mayor of a tiny town called Brooklyn Park running under the reform party named James George Janos... or as the rest of the world knew him, Jesse "The Body" Ventura. Chronicling Ventura's campaign, this short will examine how a grass roots campaign, great debating, and most importantly, polling, paved the way for the former WWF star to become Minnesota's governor.

In 1857 off the Carolina coast, the SS Central America sank in a Category 2 hurricane and with it, thirty thousand pounds of gold valued today at roughly 548 million dollars. Over a century later and after many failed attempts to locate "The Ship of Gold", a team of explorers led by Tommy Thompson skillfully implemented Bayesian Search theory, statistically limiting the possible locations where the ship went down.

You know the name Kevin Durant. But unless you're a true basketball insider, you don't know the name of the man who helped Durant become an MVP: Justin Zormelo.

Grace Hopper dedicated her life to bringing computers to the masses, when most supposed the technology was only useful for scientists and the military. Through her genius, she taught software English, so that everyone could communicate with computers.

In the early 1960's, the Dallas Cowboys wanted to develop a computer system that would evaluate draft eligible college players. Enter A.

On May 3, 1997, Garry Kasparov sat down to do battle against his nemesis, the IBM chess-playing machine "Deep Blue", though this time with an improved model, "Deeper Blue". Kasparov won the first game with ease.