Where Gaussian Random Distribution came from?

Question

I'm studying an introduction to probability, and before the explanation of the Central Limit Theorem the author presents the Gaussian Normal Distribution. It has a complex and a non-intuitive formula, even if it's very important in the Probability field. Was the gaussian distribution found before the deduction of the CLT ? How was this distribution discovered ? And what are the properties that makes it so special ?

Answer 1

Check out the kinetic theory of gases. and also the theory of measurement errors for some background,

Jim