John von Neumann was born on 28 December 1903 in Budapest. A Hungarian-born mathematician and physicist, von Neumann made fundamental contributions to set theory, quantum mechanics, game theory, economics and computing. He developed the mathematical foundations of quantum theory, wrote Theory of Games and Economic Behavior with Oskar Morgenstern, and described the stored-program architecture that still underlies most computers. He was a member of the Manhattan Project and worked on the hydrogen bomb, and he later served on the Atomic Energy Commission. Colleagues were awed by his speed of thought and memory. He died of cancer in his early fifties.
Before and after
- 1 November 1903Death of Theodor Mommsen
- 7 November 1903Birth of Konrad Lorenz
- 17 December 1903First flight of Flyer I
- 17 December 1903The Wright brothers make the first powered flight
- 28 December 1903Birth of John von Neumann
- 1904Founding of Bayer 04 Leverkusen
- c. 1904Birth of Umm Kulthum
- 1904Construction of Hungarian Parliament Building
- 1904Rise of Fauvism
More in Science & technology
- 1771Discovery of oxygen
- 1772Discovery of nitrogen
- 1789Discovery of carbon
- 1817Discovery of lithium
- 1825Discovery of aluminium
- 18 August 1868Discovery of helium
The era
This moment belongs to the Industrial era (1760 CE to 1914 CE), steam, factories and revolutions. You can also browse everything in the 20th century.