The Man from the Future: A Conversation with Ananyo Bhattacharya on the Vision of John von Neumann

A combination of genius and unique historical circumstance allowed a single man to sweep through so many different fields of science, sparking revolutions wherever he went. Join London Institute for Mathematical Sciences chief science writer Ananyo Bhattacharya in conversation with Chroma founder Anton Troynikov for a salon on the massive technological fingerprint of John von Neumann and how his visionary ideas shape the world today.

John von Neumann was a child prodigy who went on to help lay the foundations of quantum mechanics, was instrumental in the Manhattan Project, created the first ever programmable digital computer, and prophesized the potential of nanotechnology. Even on his death bed, von Neumann was busily composing his prescient lectures on the limits of brains and computers and how these could be overcome. Klára Dán, his wife, learned to translate equations into numerical forms and then machine language to create the first modern computer code, and then onto pivotal work on computer simulations.

Following Ananyo’s biography of von Neumann, The Man from the Future, this conversation will give insight into both technological and geopolitical history, as well as how great minds are able to break through in pursuing radically new things. Join us for this lively conversation on some of the most interesting moments of the 20th century—and what we can learn from this in the world today.

This event will be recorded.