ABSTRACT March 21, 2024 4:15pm Auditorium S5, MFF UK Malostranské nám. 25, Praha 1 “Bill Gates, the richest man in the world, loves Bayesian networks.” This statement appeared in the titles of many newspaper and journal articles after October 28, 1996, when the Los Angeles Times published an interview with him. He said that Microsoft’s competitive advantage was its expertise in Bayesian networks. This declaration indisputably contributed to the popularity of Bayesian networks, and since that time, they have become a standard technique incorporated in statistical and data-mining software packages. However, Bayesian networks are only a part of the technology developed to handle multidimensional probability distributions efficiently. The lecture will therefore also mention other, less famous, graphical models, as well as nongraphical tools, especially, compositional models. It will also show that most of the results valid for probability may be extended to other uncertainty theories, especially to belief functions. Thus, the audience will learn how to differentiate between combination and composition, and, for example, what belief functions have in common with the furniture sold by IKEA. The talk will be an author’s subjective glimpse of almost 40 years of history and an opportunity to recollect some names that should be remembered.