What is the history of the economic walk?  That is, even before its
financial application, who discovered it?  (Just a couple of lines)

Hi reese-ga:

I'll keep this brief, as per your request.

The method of using random walks is also known as the Monte Carlo
method. The first recorded use of a random walk was by Lord Raleigh in
1899 to solve a parabolic differential equation. However, the Monte
Carlo method itself was not thoroughly developed until about 1944.

There is an excellent synopsis of the history of the Monte Carlo
method at:

http://www.geocities.com/CollegePark/Quad/2435/history.html

I hope this helps. If you need any further clarifications, please
request them before rating this answer.

Thanks. 

websearcher-ga

great, thanks!