John von Neumann

The John von Neumann Theory Prize of the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences is awarded annually to an individual (or group) who have made fundamental and sustained contributions to theory in operations The crater von Neumann on the Moon is named after him. The John von Neumann Center in Plainsboro Township, New Jersey, was named in his honor Neumann was diagnosed with what was either bone or pancreatic cancer.He was not able to accept the proximity of his own demise, and the shadow of impending death instilled great fear in him. He died at age 53 on February 8, 1957, at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., under military security lest he reveal military secrets while heavily medicated. He was buried at Princeton Cemetery in Princeton, Mercer County, New Jersey.


On May 4, 2005 the United States Postal Service issued the American Scientists commemorative postage stamp series, a set of four 37-cent self-adhesive stamps in several configurations designed by artist Victor Stabin. The scientists depicted were von Neumann, Barbara McClintock, Josiah Willard Gibbs, and Richard Feynman.

Von Neumann's theory of measurement and his critique of hidden variables became the touchstone of most debates in the foundations of quantum mechanics. Today, his name also figures most prominently in the mathematically rigorous branches of contemporary quantum mechanics of large systems and quantum field theory.

John von Neumann (1903-1957) was undoubtedly one of the scientific geniuses of the 20th century. The main fields to which he contributed include various disciplines of pure and applied mathematics,mathematical and theoretical physics, logic, theoretical computer science, and computer architecture.

Von Neumann was born a wealthy, acculturated and non-observant Jewish family. His Hebrew name was Yonah. Von Neumann was born in Budapest, Kingdom of Hungary, which was then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. He was the eldest of three brothers .Her parents were Jakab Kann and Katalin Meisels . In 1913, Emperor Franz Joseph elevated his father to the nobility for his service to the Austro-Hungarian Empire.


Von Neumann was a child prodigy. When he was 6 years old, he could divide two 8-digit numbers in his head By the age of 8, von Neumann was familiar with differential and integral calculus,but he was particularly interested in history. Von Neumann entered the Lutheran Fasori Evangélikus Gimnázium in 1911. This was one of the best schools in Budapest and was part of a brilliant education system designed for the elite.

Von Neumann was also actively involved in politics and science management and he had a major impact on US government decisions during, and especially after, the Second World War. There exist several popular books on his personality and various collections focusing on his achievements in mathematics, computer science, and economy. Strangely enough, to date no detailed appraisal of his seminal contributions to the mathematical foundations of quantum physics has appeared.