I Current Comments” EUGENE GARFIELD lNSTITUIE FM SCIENTIFIC WFOFMATIOW 3S)1 MARKET ST PW.ADEL$?+IA PA 19104

John von Neumann, , and the Invention of the Modern CosnputeK A Story of Genius and Controversy

Number 9 March 4, 1991 My friend Fred Koehen 1 often spoke about the excitement of working with -a near-mythical figure in the development of the . Many of us would have enjoyed meeting this histori- cal figure. So, I was quite pleased to read a recent article in the Anrerican Heritage of Invention & Technology 2 that linked von Neumann’s life and work with another com- puter pioneer, John Mauchly of the Univer- sity of %with whom I had con- siderable contact during my career. Mauchly and I fmt met at Johns Hopkins in 1951, and, from then on, periodically until the time of his death in 1980. In fact, during his failing years, we provided him with regular literature updates on the bkroci disorder from which he was suffering. In many ways, Mauchly was a tragic fig- JohnvonNeumann ure. Various disputes about who invented Courtesy Archives, Insti[uic for Advanced Sudy, Rmceton the computer at UNIVAC probably added to the stress of his life. Nevertheless, I also feel compelled to re- Heppenheimer, a free-lance science writer port that it was indeed Univac that provided and most recently author of The Coming the vehicle for the experiments I executed Quake: Science and Trembling on the Cali- for my doctoral dissertation. With the help fornia Earthquake Frontier (llrnes Books, of John O’Connor, I ran the fmt programs 1988). Illuminating the time before hard- involving computerized translation of ware and software, the author has vividly chemical nomenclature.3,4 captured how a handful of brilliant mathe- I believe readers of Current Contents@ maticians visualized the future. will enjoy the following article by T.A. 91991 L9

REFERENCES 1. Garlktd IL Msnfred Knchur: in memory of an information scientist pioneer qus world brairr-ist. Curreru Coruents (25):3-14, 19 June 1989. 2. Ileppemhelrner T A. How von Neumann showed the way. Anrez Heritage Invent Techrrd. 6(2)8-16, 19S0 3. Gar&fd E. Chemic&lirrguistics: computer translation of chemical nomenclature. Nan#e 192:192, 1%1. (Reprinted im Essays of an infonnotion scierukt. Phitadelphizx 1S1Press, 1984. Vol. 6. p. 4S9-91.) 4------. History of citation indexes for chemistry: a brief review. J. Chem. Inform. Comput, Sci. 25:170-4, 1985. (.Reprinted in: [bid, 1988. vol. 9. p. 42-7.)

32 Reprinted with permission from: American Heritage of Invention& Technology 6(2) S-16, 1990.

How VOSINeumann Showed the Way By T. A. Heppeaheimer

here were ten people in the pasty, programs of wide variety. Such machines and they were about to descend would be highly flexible, readily shifted into the Grand Canyon. The from one task to another. They could react T guide wore a cowboy hat and intelligently to the results of their calcula- leather chaps; a coil of rope hung from his tions, could choose among alternatives, and saddle. Most of the others were dressed for could even play checkers or chess. a day outdoom, wearing hats, loose-fitting This represented something unheard ofi a shirts, and the like. At the rem of the group machine with built-in intelligence, able to was John von Neumann-hatless and in the operate on internal instnsctions. Before, formal suit and tie of a banker. Moreover, even the most complex mechanisms had al- while everyone else sat on a mule facing ways been controlled from the outside, as right, his faced left. by setting dials or knobs. Von Neumann did Von Neumann had been following his not invent the computer, but what he intro- own rules for years. He owned a photo- duced was equally significant: computing graphic memory that held the complete by use of computer programs, the way we texts of works of Iiteratmt a