Perhaps the greatest mathematician of his time, John von Neumann (1903-1957) had a photographic memory and a superhuman ability to perform mental calculations. Von Neumann's security clearance allowed him access to ENIAC and EDVAC, the first large-scale digital computers developed in the United States.

You can find a biography of von Neumann at The History of Computing, hosted by Virginia Tech and partially sponsored by a National Science Foundation grant. His 1945 paper, "First Draft of a Report on the EDVAC" is reprinted in Nancy Stern's book From ENIAC to UNIVAC: An Appraisal of the Eckert Mauchly Computers (Digital Press, 1981).

For information about the exciting early days of computing, look at the years 1945 - 1952 on the Computer Museum's Historic Timeline. If you'd like more information, check your library for the video The Machine That Changed the World, Episode 1: Giant Brains (WGBH Television in cooperation with the British Broadcasting Corp., 1991).

Additional Links

Chapter Four: Johnny Builds bombs and Johnny Builds Brains   This Web site presents the full text of a book, Tools For Thought: The People and Ideas of the Next Computer Revolution, by Howard Rheingold. First published by Simon & Schuster in 1985, the book is currently out of print. Chapter Four discusses the life and contributions of John von Neumann in many areas, but particularly in the development of the earliest computers. Howard Rheingold was editor of The Whole Earth Review, editor in chief of The Millennium Whole Earth Catalog, and founding Executive Editor of HotWired. He has written many books and articles on the impact of new technologies on society.

Chapter III -- EDVAC   This chapter from Electronic Computers within the Ordnance Corps is presented at a Web site that chronicles the U.S. Army's role in the history of computing. Chapter III is of particular interest because it contains quotes from von Neumann's report "First Draft of a Report on the EDVAC."

Dr. John von Neumann at the dedication of the NORD   When the IBM Naval Ordnance Research Calculator (NORD) was first presented to the public in 1954, Dr. John von Neumann gave a speech about its importance and the significance of its development. At this Web site, you can read a transcript of most of Dr. von Neumann's speech or listen to a digitized audio recording of the speech.