The Man from the Future

Ananyo Bhattacharya's biography of John von Neumann — the polymath whose contributions to quantum mechanics, game theory, computing, and nuclear weapons design make him perhaps the most consequential scientist of the 20th century.

The case for von Neumann's underappreciated centrality: Bhattacharya documents how von Neumann's fingerprints are on quantum mechanics (von Neumann algebras, measurement problem), game theory (minimax theorem, Nash equilibrium context), computing (von Neumann architecture), nuclear weapons design (implosion lens), and cellular automata. The 'von Neumann architecture' underlies virtually every computer built since 1945. The book makes the case that von Neumann is more important than his relative public obscurity suggests.