MATHEMATICIAN

John von Neumann

1903 - 1957

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John von Neumann ( von NOY-mən; Hungarian: Neumann János Lajos [ˈnɒjmɒn ˈjaːnoʃ ˈlɒjoʃ]; December 28, 1903 – February 8, 1957) was a Hungarian and American mathematician, physicist, computer scientist and engineer. Von Neumann had perhaps the widest coverage 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. Read more on Wikipedia

His biography is available in different languages on Wikipedia. John von Neumann is the 27th most popular mathematician (down from 24th in 2019), the 10th most popular biography from Hungary and the most popular Hungarian Mathematician.

John von Neumann is most famous for his work in quantum mechanics, game theory, and computer science.

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Among MATHEMATICIANS

Among mathematicians, John von Neumann ranks 27 out of 1,004. Before him are Pierre-Simon Laplace, David Hilbert, Joseph Fourier, Peter Gustav Lejeune Dirichlet, Évariste Galois, and Hero of Alexandria. After him are Srinivasa Ramanujan, Diophantus, Gerolamo Cardano, François Viète, Kurt Gödel, and Luca Pacioli.

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 1903, John von Neumann ranks 3. Before him are George Orwell, and Olav V of Norway. After him are Konrad Lorenz, Aram Khachaturian, Georges Simenon, Theodor W. Adorno, George Beadle, Ernst Kaltenbrunner, C. F. Powell, Adolf Butenandt, and Habib Bourguiba. Among people deceased in 1957, John von Neumann ranks 4. Before him are Haakon VII of Norway, Jean Sibelius, and Friedrich Paulus. After him are Diego Rivera, Miklós Horthy, Christian Dior, Humphrey Bogart, Johannes Stark, Nikos Kazantzakis, Constantin Brâncuși, and Walther Bothe.

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In Hungary

Among people born in Hungary, John von Neumann ranks 10 out of 1,077. Before him are Gaiseric (389), Theodor Herzl (1860), Elizabeth Báthory (1560), Louis II of Hungary (1506), Rudolf Steiner (1861), and Stephen I of Hungary (975). After him are Ignaz Semmelweis (1818), Matthias Corvinus (1443), Miklós Horthy (1868), Harry Houdini (1874), Archduchess Marie Valerie of Austria (1868), and Louis I of Hungary (1326).

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Among MATHEMATICIANS In Hungary

Among mathematicians born in Hungary, John von Neumann ranks 1. After him are Paul Erdős (1913), John G. Kemeny (1926), George Pólya (1887), Peter Lax (1926), Marcel Grossmann (1878), Rudolf E. Kálmán (1930), Klára Dán von Neumann (1911), László Lovász (1948), Frigyes Riesz (1880), Paul Halmos (1916), and Endre Szemerédi (1940).

Hungarian born Mathematicians

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