John von Neumann

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. Von Neumann had perhaps the widest breadth of any mathematician of his time, integrating pure and applied sciences and making major contributions to many fields, including mathematics, physics, economics, computing, and statistics. He was a pioneer in building the mathematical framework of quantum physics, in the development of functional analysis, and in game theory, introducing or codifying concepts including cellular automata, the universal constructor and the digital computer. His analysis of the structure of self-replication preceded the discovery of the structure of DNA.

During World War II, von Neumann worked on the Manhattan Project. He developed the mathematical models behind the explosive lenses used in the implosion-type nuclear weapon. Before and after the war, he consulted for many organizations including the Office of Scientific Research and Development, the United States Army's Ballistic Research Laboratory, the Armed Forces Special Weapons Project and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. At the peak of his influence in the 1950s, he chaired a number of Defense Department committees including the Strategic Missile Evaluation Committee and the ICBM Scientific Advisory Committee. He was also a member of the influential Atomic Energy Commission in charge of all atomic energy development in the country. He played a key role alongside Bernard Schriever and Trevor Gardner in the design and development of the United States' first intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) programs. At that time he was considered the nation's foremost expert on nuclear weaponry and the leading defense scientist at the U.S. Department of Defense.

Von Neumann's contributions and intellectual ability drew praise from colleagues in physics, mathematics, and beyond. His accolades include a Medal of Freedom and a crater on the Moon named in his honor.

Notable works: von Neumann cellular automaton, Von Neumann neighborhood, von Neumann universal constructor, von Neumann architecture, von Neumann algebra, von Neumann–Morgenstern utility theorem, von Neumann regular ring, Von Neumann–Bernays–Gödel set theory Awards: Medal of Freedom, Carl-Gustaf Rossby Research Medal, Bôcher Memorial Prize, Enrico Fermi Award, Josiah Willard Gibbs Lectureship, Silliman Memorial Lectures, Medal for Merit, Albert Einstein Award, Financial Times Person of the Year, Fellow of the Institute of Mathematical Statistics Education: Fasori Gimnázium, Frederick William University Berlin, ETH Zurich, Eötvös Loránd University

Source: Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_von_Neumann