Origin of Fermi-Dirac distribution? I wanted to know what "problem" Fermi and Dirac wanted to solve with the Fermi-Dirac distribution in 1926? What was the context? What is the history behind this distribution?
I hope the question is understandable.
 A: Looks like Fermi was trying to solve some problems of the old quantum theory, such as independence of the specific heat of a monoatomic ideal gas on the temperature (https://books.google.com/books?id=DQLNCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA82&lpg=PA82&dq=fermi+statistics+original+paper&source=bl&ots=I98ibTdpls&sig=tQ4vhlNwGQbE4fEB6Ym5CEQryHg&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjk54DgteLQAhVp2IMKHZ5DBBoQ6AEIRTAH#v=onepage&q=fermi%20statistics%20original%20paper&f=false). By the way, Dirac's treatment of the statistics was not quite independent. He had read Fermi's article, but forgot about it. When Fermi wrote to Dirac about this issue, Dirac wrote him a letter with an apology. I read that in a book by Dirac. If there is interest, I'll try to find the reference.
EDIT(12/7/2016): Here's the reference: Dirac, The Origin of Quantum Field Theory // The Impact of Modern Scientific Ideas on Society, Dordrect, Holland, D. Reidel, 1981, pp.39-55 (see also information at https://cds.cern.ch/record/1177841?ln=en) I read the article in Russian translation 
