John von Neumann was one of the most brilliant minds of the 20th century. As a child in Budapest he could divide eight-digit numbers in his head. He made major contributions to pure mathematics and quantum mechanics. He invented game theory, the study of strategy. He worked on the atomic bomb at Los Alamos. His design for a stored-program computer became the model for almost every computer since. Colleagues joked that he might be a visitor from another planet.
Key Milestones
1928: Game theory – minimax theorem
1932: Quantum – foundations
1944: Theory of Games – book
1945: EDVAC – computer report
John von Neumann ( von NOY-mən; Hungarian: Neumann János Lajos; December 28, 1903 – February 8, 1957) was a Hungarian and American mathematician, physicist, computer scientist and engineer.