How did Dijkstra's reach to single source shortest path algorithm?

[networkloser]

Is there a history of attempts to write a shortest path algorithms? And how they failed? What was their thinking process. I am currently learning about link-state routing and I am unable to figure out centralized dijkstra's algorithm even after being stuck in screen/textbook for lots of hours. It is extremely overwhelming to me. Thus, if I could get ideas on why the algorithm was exactly made, why was it chosen for routing purposes, and stuffs like that, that'd greatly be of benefit to me.

[deanwebb]

To find the answer, I found this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dijkstra%27s_algorithm

And it's a fun little article about how Dijkstra thought it all out and made the algorithm. There is a step-by-step calculation that runs until one of the calculated paths reaches the destination. That first path is therefore the shortest.

The algorithm also works, with modifications, to present ranked-choice alternatives to the shortest path, should it become unavailable or degraded.

Other shortest-path solutions are discussed here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shortest_path_problem . Solutions don't necessarily fail, but are rather perhaps better for some applications than others.