Encyclopedia of Computer Science and Technology

von Neumann, John 499Eckert and Mauchly (see Eckert, J. Presper andMauchly, John William) and some of their supporterswould later claim that they had already conceived of theidea of storing programs in memory, and in fact they hadalready designed a form of internal memory called a mercurydelay line. Whatever the truth in this assertion, itremains that von Neumann provided the comprehensivetheoretical architecture for the modern computer, whichwould become known as the von Neumann architecture.Von Neumann’s reports would be distributed widely andwould guide the beginnings of computer science researchin many parts of the world.Looking beyond EDVAC, von Neumann, together withHerman Goldstine and Arthur Burks, designed a newcomputer for the Institute for Advanced Study that wouldembody the von Neumann principles. The IAS machine’sdesign would in turn lead to the development of researchcomputers for RAND Corporation, the Los Alamos NationalLaboratory, and in several countries including Australia,Israel, and even the Soviet Union. The design would eventuallybe commercialized by IBM in the form of the IBM 701.In his later years, von Neumann continued to explorethe theory of computing. He studied ways to make computersthat could automatically maintain reliability despite theloss of certain components, and he conceived of an abstractself-reproducing automaton (see cellular automata).Von Neumann’s career was crowned with many awardsreflecting his diverse contributions to American sciencetechnology. These include the Distinguished Civilian ServiceAward (1947), Presidential Medal of Freedom (1956),and the Enrico Fermi Award (1956). Von Neumann died onFebruary 8, 1957, in Washington, D.C.Further ReadingAspray, William. John von Neumann and the Origins of ModernComputing. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, 1990.Heims, S. J. John von Neumann and Norbert Wiener: From Mathematicsto the Technologies of Life and Death. Cambridge, Mass.:MIT Press, 1980.“John Louis von Neumann” [biography]. Available online. URL: http://ei.cs.vt.edu/~history/VonNeumann.html. Accessed August 23,2007.MacRae, Norman. John Von Neumann: The Scientific Genius WhoPioneered the Modern Computer, Game Theory, Nuclear Deterrence,and Much More. 2nd ed. Providence, R.I.: AmericanMathematical Society, 2000.von Neumann, John. The Computer and the Brain. New Haven,Conn.: Yale University Press, 1958.———. Theory of Self-Reproducing Automata. Edited and compiledby Arthur W. Burks. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1966.