Eponyms compress complicated histories into convenient myths

Proposed by statistician Stephen Stigler, the law points to the complicated way ideas develop, spread, and eventually become associated with particular names. Stigler himself credited sociologist Robert K. Merton with an earlier version of the idea, making the law an example of its own claim. Familiar cases include mathematical theorems, scientific laws, and inventions whose conventional names differ from their earliest known origins. The law is partly humorous but highlights how historical credit is shaped by communication, reputation, and later recognition. It is used in discussions of scientific history, sociology of science, and academic culture.