Halley, Edmond
\ˈhæli\, \ˈɛdmənd\
A prominent scientist of his day, now most famous for his comet. He also made a vital contribution to actuarial science, being the first person to publish life tables based on sound demographic data.
Edmond Halley was a prominent scientist of his day and is now most famous for his comet, but he also made a vital contribution to actuarial science. He was not the first to develop a life table (that was John Graunt in 1662) but in 1693 he published the first life tables based on sound demographic data – sourced from Breslau in Silesia (now Wrocław in Poland). He used these tables to calculate for the first time a number of statistics still in common use – median life expectancy, the cost of an annuity (including joint life annuities) and the pricing of term assurance.