Karl Pearson was a British mathematician and statistician, born on March 27, 1857. He is best known for founding the field of statistics and developing the concept of the correlation coefficient, which measures the strength and direction of the relationship between two variables. Pearson's work laid the groundwork for modern statistical methods and analysis. In addition to his contributions to statistics, Pearson was a pioneer in the field of biometry, applying statistical methods to biological data. He also established the first statistical journal, the Biometrika, in 1901, which continues to publish important research in the field today.