An algorithm from 1962 still matches doctors to hospitals nationwide
In 1962 David Gale and Lloyd Shapley proved that a simple round-by-round proposal process always produces a 'stable' matching, where no pair would rather ditch their assigned partners for each other. Economist Alvin Roth adapted it to match US medical residents to hospitals, then to school choice and kidney-exchange programs. Shapley and Roth shared the 2012 Nobel for turning the idea into real-world market design.