Accidental Genius
I can confidently tell you that if you gave me an unsolved math problem, I’d be unable to solve it. My ability in mathematics is perhaps best characterized as “fairly average.” But, if you’re really good at math, having access to two unopened math problems might help you make a major breakthrough in statistics and eventually get your Ph.D.
I’d love to be a fly on the wall for the talk where he converted the completed mathematics problems into his professor. I can only imagine that Dantzig’s jaw hit the floor, as well as the math professor’s.