Serving the Numerical Simulation community since 1989 
The first paper on the finite element method (FEM) was published by Turner, M. J., Clough, R. W., Martin H. C. and Topp, L. J. in 1956. From Wikipedia (on Clough):
His article in 1956 was one of the first applications of this computational method. He coined the term “finite elements” in an article in 1960.
Turner, M. J., Clough, R. W., Martin H. C. and Topp, L. J. Stiffness and Deflection Analysis of Complex Structures . Journal of the Aeronautical Sciences, Vol. 23 No. 9, 1956 pp. 805-823.
