John von Neumann (28.12.1903-8.02.1957) was an American mathematician and physicist and a member of the National Academy of Sciences (from 1937). He was born in Budapest. He graduated from the University of Budapest (1926). In 1927 —29 he was a Privatdozent at the University of Berlin, in 1930—33 he worked at Princeton University (professor from 1931), and from 1933 he was professor at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton (in 1945 —55 director of the institute's electronic computer project).
He made a significant contribution to mathematics, physics, economics and engineering. He carried out fundamental research on mathematical logic, group theory, operator algebras, quantum mechanics and statistical physics. He extended the theory of games and the theory of automata. The main result of his work on the theory of computing machines was the creation of the Princeton computer and its many modifications. Not a few of his papers are devoted to an analysis of the basic principles of how computing machines work; the results achieved contributed to the progress made towards an axiomatic theory of automata. In 1927 — 31 he gave a rigorous mathematical formulation of the principles of quantum mechanics. In 1932 he proved the equivalence of wave and matrix mechanics. He predicted (1953) the possibility of quantum amplification of light in semiconductors.
A member of a number of academies of sciences and learned societies. In 1951 —53 he was president of the American Mathematical Society. The A. Einstein Medal (1956), the E. Fermi Medal (1956) and others.