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Nuemann's Life and Notable Achievements
Here is the timeline of Von Neumann's life and his most notable achievements. -
Child Prodigy
As a child, Von Neumann was nifty with numbers. By age eight, he became familiar with differential and integral calculus. -
Completed Studies
By 1927, Von Neumann completed all his schooling in the field of Mathematics. by then, he had 12 major papers published in mathematics. -
On the Theory of Parlor Games
Von Neumann started his career at the University of Berlin where he published a paper in the field of game theory, called 'On the Theory of Parlor Games'. It was later adapted into a book. -
Von Neumann Algebras
Sometime during 1930, Von Neumann began working on the theory of rings of operators with the aim of developing a mathematical technique suitable for quantum phenomenon. This work took him nearly a decade to complete. Today, this work is known as ‘Von Neumann algebras’. -
Quasi Ergodic Theory
By 1931, Von Neumann began to write a series of articles in which he made ground level contributions to a theory of math known as quasi ergodic theory. -
The Mathematical Foundations of Quantum Mechanics
The Mathematical Foundations of Quantum Mechanics is Von Nuemann's first major book. It was co-written with a German mathematician named Hilbert. -
Nazi Germany
Until 1933, Von Neumann held an impressive academic position in Germany, where he would reside during the summertime. However, with the rise of the Nazi party, he resigned and shifted permanently to Princeton University in the United States -
Institute of Advance Study
The Institute of Advance Study was established at Princeton University. Von Neumann became one of six original Professors in Mathematics at the institute. -
Compositio Mathematica
Von Neumann became a co-editor of the peer reviewed mathematics journal known as 'Compositio Mathematica', the same year it was founded by L.E.J Brouwer. -
The Lattice Theory
In 1937, Von Neumann began concentrating on the Lattice Theory, where he provided an abstract exploration of dimension in complemented modular topological lattices. Later, he founded the field of continuous geometry based on his findings. -
The Manhatten Project
in late 1943, Von Neumann was invited to join the Manhattan project, where he mainly worked on the explosive lenses, which are capable of compressing the plutonium core of the ‘Fat Man’, the nuclear bomb that was dropped on Nagasaki. He provided the concept and also contributed to its design. -
Theory of Games and Economic Behavior
During 1944, Von Neumann published a book - based on his reasearch work from 1928 - he co-authored with economist Oskar Morgenstern called 'Theory of Games and Economic Behavior'. This is considered his most significant work, as it created the interdisciplinary research field of game theory. -
Post War Consultant
During the post war period, Von Neumann began to work as a consultant for both government and industry. Shortly thereafter, he became involved with the ENIAC/EDVAC teams. -
Von Neumann Architecture
Once a consultant for the U.S army and the RAND corporation, Von Neumann became involved with the computing, specifically the ENIAC/EDVAC projects. From such collaborations, he wrote the 'First Draft of a Report on the EDVAC', a paper that outlined the concept of an internal memory unit. -
Atomic Energy Commission
Von Neumann was elected a member of the Atomic Energy Commission where he served until 1956. This was during the Eisenhower administration, where he worked to develop the policy of nuclear deterrence.
