John von Neumann

AKA:
Johnny
Birth Name:
Neumann János Lajos
Birth Date:
December 28, 1903
Birth Place:
Budapest, Kingdom of Hungary
Death Date:
February 8, 1957
Place of Death:
Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, D.C.
Age:
53
Cause of Death:
Bone cancer (disputed)
Claim to Fame:
Science
John von Neumann was a Hungarian-American mathematician, physicist, computer scientist, engineer and polymath. Von Neumann was regarded as perhaps the mathematician with the widest coverage of the subject in his time and was said to have been "the last representative of the great mathematicians who were equally at home in pure and applied mathematics". Von Neumann's academic career was filled with awards and honors. He was a Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences; Academiz Nacional de Ciencias Exactas, Peru; Acamedia Nazionale dei Lincei, Italy; National Academy of Sciences; Royal Netherlands Academy of Sciences and Letters; Information Processing Hall of Fame; and held numerous honorary degrees. Described as the scientific genius who pioneered the modern computer, game theory, nuclear deterrence, and more, John von Neumann illuminated the fields of pure and applied mathematics, computer science, physics, and economics. In the end, it would be supremely difficult to effectively refute the claim that John von Neumann is likely the most intelligent person who has ever lived. By the time of his death in 1957 at the modest age of 53, the Hungarian polymath had not only revolutionized several subfields of mathematics and physics but also made foundational contributions to pure economics and statistics and taken key parts in the invention of the atomic bomb, nuclear energy and digital computing.

Fun Fact

In Princeton, he received complaints for regularly playing extremely loud German march music on his phonograph, which distracted those in neighboring offices, including Albert Einstein, from their work.

Accepting an invitation from Oswald Veblen to lecture on quantum theory at Princeton University, John von Neumann was one of a group of Hungarian and Jewish intellectuals to escape to the United States from the turmoil of Europe.  Following a year as a guest lecturer, he was appointed to the faculty. At age 30, he became the youngest professor at the Institute for Advanced Study, in the School of Mathematics, where he was frequently mistaken for a graduate student.

Cemetery Information:

Final Resting Place:

, ,

North America

Map:

Map of Princeton Cemetery in Princeton, New Jersey

Grave Location:

Von Neumann Family Plot

Grave Location Description

As you enter the cemetery turn right and the left and drive a short distance to the “Dilworth” monument on the road on your right. Park and walk six rows to the final resting place of John von Neumann (X-26 on the official Princeton Cemetery Map).

Grave Location GPS

40.355298073217476, -74.65882201633637

Photos:

[+]
[+]
[+]
[+]
[+]
[+]
[+]
[+]
[+]
[+]
[+]
[+]
[+]
[+]
[+]

Read More About John von Neumann:

Videos Featuring John von Neumann:
A (very) Brief History of John von Neumann
John Von Neumann Interview
Edward Teller talks about John von Neumann (1966)
Marina Whitman discusses the legacy of her father, John von Neumann
John Von Neumann & The Atomic Bomb
John Wheeler - John von Neumann (Part 1)

See More:

Dr. Henry Murray

popular name: Dr. Henry Murray

date_of_death: June 23, 1988

age: 95

cause_of_death: Pneumonia

claim_to_fame: Science

best_know_for: As the Director and Chief Researcher of the Psychological Clinic Annex on the campus of Harvard University, for 3 years beginning in 1959 Dr. Henry Murray was responsible for the unethical, immoral and horrible experiments in which he used 22 Harvard undergraduates as research subjects in psychological torture. The unwitting undergraduates were submitted to what Murray called "vehement, sweeping and personally abusive" attacks while strapped into a wooden chair with electrodes attached to their bodies. One of the subjects for the entire 3-year period was Ted Kaczynski, later known as the Unabomber who was responsible for killing 3 and maiming 23 other victims through his series of mail bombs.

Edwin H. Land

popular name: Edwin H. Land

date_of_death: March 1, 1991

age: 81

cause_of_death: Undisclosed

claim_to_fame: Science

best_know_for: Edwin H. Land was an American scientist and inventor, best known as the co-founder of the Polaroid Corporation and the inventor of instant photography. “Dr. Land,’’ as most people referred to him, left Harvard College before graduation to start inventing in a Cambridge garage. In 40 years, Land built up a company that did about $1.4 billion of business all over the world in 1979 with over 20,000 employees. He stuck to his guns, never diversified into other businesses, never sold out to another company, and never borrowed money on a long-term basis. Land was awarded more than 500 patents, and other Polaroid researchers hundreds more. The Polaroid company was a juggernaut of innovation. In modern terms, Polaroid was the Apple of its time with a brilliant leader in Edwin Land, a scientist who guided the company as the CEO for several decades. But the company suffered a long decline starting in the ’80s leading to bankruptcy in the 2000s.

Marie Curie

popular name: Marie Curie

date_of_death: July 4, 1934

age: 66

cause_of_death: Aplastic anemia from exposure to radiation

claim_to_fame: Science

best_know_for: Marie Curie was a Polish and naturalized-French physicist and chemist who conducted pioneering research on radioactivity. She was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize, the first person and the only woman to win the Nobel Prize twice, and the only person to win the Nobel Prize in two scientific fields. She was the first woman to become a professor at the University of Paris in 1906, and the first of only five women to be buried in Le Panthéon. Working with her husband, Pierre Curie, Marie Curie discovered polonium and radium in 1898. In 1903 they won the Nobel Prize for Physics for discovering radioactivity. In 1911 she won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry for isolating pure radium. Following work on X-rays during World War I, she studied radioactive substances and their medical applications.

Back to Top