Summary:

- The article discusses the history of economic forecasting in the United States, focusing on the rise of the first professional economic forecasters in the early 20th century.
- It highlights the stories of three pioneering forecasters - Roger Babson, Irving Fisher, and Warren Persons - and their efforts to develop statistical methods and models to predict economic trends and cycles.
- The article explores the challenges these early forecasters faced in gaining credibility and acceptance, as well as the evolution of economic forecasting as a field, from its beginnings as a niche practice to its current status as a critical component of economic and business decision-making.