Math Matters of the Past (The Very First Mathematical Olympiads)

Abstract: The history of the very first mathematical contests for high school students is discussed. The main body of the article is dedicated to the mathematical and scientific contests held in imperial Russia in the XIX century. More specifically, we discuss and analyze the recently discovered evidence of the city-level official "olympiads" in several school subjects (mathematics, history, and languages), which were organized in the Russian capital city of Saint Petersburg in 1840-1842. Educational and social aspects of the high school educational system of that time are discussed as well.