Historical Journey of the Fast Fourier Transform-From Enlightenment Europe via Bletchley Park to the Modern World

The emergence of the semiconductor industry in the early 1960s resulted in a significant stage in the evolution of computing when large computational problems, as typified by the application of the Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT) to the task of spectrum estimation, could suddenly, with the availability of suitable algorithms, be solved in close to real time fashion. This paper provides a brief and meandering account of the history of the DFT’s various solutions, referred to generically as the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT), the algorithm being chosen for its mathematical elegance, practical significance and ever increasing range of applications. We touch upon a few of the most striking personalities, places and events that were encountered along the way and look, in particular, at the recent British contribution to the journey.