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John von Neumann's 1935 letter to Oswald Veblen
The book John von Neumann: Selected Letters* by Miklós Rédei (2005) is a fascinating collection of 150 of John von Neumann (1903-57)’s correspondences…
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Jørgen Veisdal
The Great Purge (1933)
“If the dismissal of Jewish scientists means the annihilation of contemporary German science, then we shall do without science for a few years!” — Adolf…
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Jørgen Veisdal
2
The Birth of the Institute for Advanced Study (1930)
"A first-rate research institution with no teachers, no students, no classes, only researchers protected from the vicissitudes and pressures of the…
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Jørgen Veisdal
4
Einstein's Emigration to America (1932)
In May of 1932, a viciously anti-Semetic illustrated brochure entitled Juden Sehen Dich An (“Jews are Watching You”) featured Einstein in its prologue…
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Jørgen Veisdal
John F. Nash Jr.'s Game of "Hex" (1949)
“Oh, by the way, what was it that they were playing?” asked von Neumann. “Nash,” answered Tucker, allowing the corners of his mouth to turn up ever so…
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Jørgen Veisdal
1
Oskar Morgenstern's Transformation (1925-38)
Unlike his collaborator John von Neumann (1903-57), economist Oskar Morgenstern (1902-77)’s name today remains synonymous with more-or-less a single…
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Jørgen Veisdal
1
The Duties of John von Neumann’s Assistant in the 1930s
"The job entailed such onerous duties that only someone with an iron constitution could survive. My constitution, it so happened, was not made by iron…
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Jørgen Veisdal
Kurt Gödel's Brilliant Madness
Hungarian polymath John von Neumann (1903–1957) once wrote that Kurt Gödel was “absolutely irreplaceable” and “in a class by himself”. Describing his…
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Jørgen Veisdal
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