John von Neumann (/vɒn ˈnɔɪmən/ von NOY-mən; Hungarian: Neumann János Lajos [ˈnɒjmɒn ˈjaːnoʃ ˈlɒjoʃ]; December 28, 1903 – February 8, 1957) was a Hungarian-American mathematician, physicist, computer scientist, engineer and polymath.
Von Neumann was twice invited speaker at the International Congress of Mathematicians.[1] The May 1958 issue of the Bulletin of the American Mathematical Society was dedicated as a memorial volume (in an act without precedent) to von Neumann and eight articles were written about him and his work by friends and colleagues.[2][3] The National Academy of Sciences published a biographical memoir by Salomon Bochner.[4]In addition, obituaries were written in several other journals, including the Journal of the London Mathematical Society,[5] Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists,[6] Matematikai Lapok,[7] Physics Today,[8] Science,[9] Mathematics of Computation[10] and The Economic Journal.[11] Books,[12][13] scientific papers,[14][15][16] and events have been dedicated to him.[17]
In honor of his achievements and contributions to the modern world, he was named in 1999 the Financial Times Person of the Century, as a representative of the century's characteristic ideal that the power of the mind could shape the physical world, and of the "intellectual brilliance and human savagery" that defined the 20th century.[18][19][20] On May 4, 2005, the United States Postal Service issued the American Scientists commemorative postage stamp series, a set of four 37-cent self-adhesive stamps in several configurations designed by artist Victor Stabin. The scientists depicted were von Neumann, Barbara McClintock, Josiah Willard Gibbs, and Richard Feynman.[21]
Other awards and honors he received include the following.[22][23][24]
Awards:
Honorary societies:
Honorary doctorates:
Honorary positions: