John von Neumann

John von Neumann (December 28. 1903 – February 8. 1957) was a Hungarian-American mathematician and physicist.

He contributed to many fields, including:

Set theory
Functional analysis
Quantum mechanics
Ergodic theory
Continuous geometry
Economics
Game theory
Computer science
Numerical analysis
Systems theory
Statistics

He is generally regarded as a prodigy, polymath and one of the most important mathematicians of the 20th century.

He was a member of a group called the 'Martians'. They were Hungarian immigrants to the US of extraordinary intellect. Others people in this group were Edward Teller, Paul Erdős, Leó Szilárd and Eugene Wigner.

 Noteworthy work 
His textbook on quantum mechanics is one of the first on this topic.
His game theory is considered one of the most important tools in competitive strategic management and is also of high importance in biosciences.
He is the designer of the Von-Neumann architecture, which is basic to nearly all computers today.
He was one of the first proponents of artificial intelligence. He proposed the idea of self replicating machines. This is why a machine that can replicate itself is now commonly referred to as a 'Von Neumann machine'.
With Stanislav Ulam, he did some of the most important calculations in the Manhattan project.
He worked at the Institute of Advanced Studies the same time as Albert Einstein, Kurt Gödel and Robert Oppenheimer
Well known by computer scientists
Principles are included in every modern computer, tablet or phone.

 References 

Category:1903 births
Category:1957 deaths
Category:American mathematicians
Category:American physicists
Category:Cancer deaths in Washington, D.C.
Category:Hungarian mathematicians
Category:Scientists from Budapest
Category:Systems scientists
Category:Hungarian physicists