John Von Neumann: The Scientific Genius Who Pioneered the Modern Computer, Game Theory, Nuclear Deterrence, and Much More

This volume is the reprinted edition of the first full-scale biography of the man widely regarded as the greatest scientist of the century after Einstein. Born in Budapest in 1903 John von Neumann grew up in one of the most extraordinary of scientific communities. From his arrival in America in the mid-1930s--with bases in Boston Princeton Washington and Los Alamos--von Neumann pioneered and participated in the major scientific and political dramas of the next three decades leaving his mark on more fields of scientific endeavor than any other scientist. Von Neumanns work in areas such as game theory mathematics physics and meteorology formed the building blocks for the most important discoveries of the century: the modern computer game theory the atom bomb radar and artificial intelligence to name just a few. From the laboratory to the highest levels of government this definitive biography gives us a behind-the-scenes look at the politics and personalities involved in these world-changing discoveries. Written more than 30 years after von Neumanns untimely death at age 54 it was prepared with the cooperation of his family and includes information gained from interviewing countless sources across Europe and America. Norman Macrae paints a highly readable humanizing portrait of a man whose legacy still influences and shapes modern science and knowledge.