John von Neumann
Mathematician, architect of the modern computer and game theory
Born 1903 · Died 1957
Photo: Wikimedia Commons · Attribution
«In mathematics you don't understand things. You just get used to them.»
John von Neumann contributed fundamental work to quantum mechanics, economics, computing and the design of nuclear weapons, often several at once. The architecture almost every computer uses, with program and data in the same memory, carries his name.
Key achievements
- Designed the von Neumann architecture used by nearly every computer
- Founded game theory with Morgenstern, 1944
- Put quantum mechanics on a rigorous mathematical footing
Universities
Zurich
Took a diploma in chemical engineering in 1926, studying it in parallel with a mathematics doctorate in Budapest.
Princeton, New Jersey
Taught at Princeton University from 1930 and then joined the Institute for Advanced Study.
Facts
- His father made him study chemical engineering as a practical fallback while he pursued mathematics; he completed both at once in different countries.
- He could reportedly recite pages of a book read years earlier, and divided eight-digit numbers in his head as a child.
- He and Oskar Morgenstern founded game theory as a discipline with their 1944 book.
Photographs
Photographs come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences; the author and licence are shown on each image.