Some years ago, Chinese invented sophisticated fingers that can deal with numbers greater than ten. This is the Russian variation of the abacus. I obtained this computer while I was in Moscow in 1991.

About 150 years ago, French artillery men invented this computer which can perform multiplication by addition. I still use the smaller (pocket sized) slide rule when I go to restaurants with my friends. I have to add 15-percent tip to the total bill (multiply by 1.15) and divide it by the number of people.

This is a vacuum-tube circuit. I used to like vacuum tubes when I was a high-school student, and I was able to write an article about Marconi and Sarnoff three months ago. Indeed, in the 1940s, John von Neumann observed those tubes can perform "Yes or No" logic. We all know what happened since then.

For the history of electronic computers, you may visit http://www.cs.iastate.edu.

Richard Feynman was intensely interested in communicating with the nature. He was of course interested in the language of quantum mechanics. Sooner or later, we are going to construct marketable quantum computers.

Click here for future computers.

• Fuld Hall, at the Institute for Advanced Study (Princeton). John von Neumann's office was in this building, so was Einstein's office.

• von Neumann in his home living room, photograph by Alan Richards hanging in Fuld Hall, courtesy of the Archives of the Institute of Advanced Study.

• von Neumann Papers in the Library of Congress.

• Biography
  from http://ei.cs.vt.edu/~history/VonNeumann.html.

• Biography
  from http://www-gap.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history
  /Mathematicians/Von_Neumann.html.

Courtesy of Budapesti Evangelikus Gimnazium

• Budapest, von Neumann's High School in Budapest. In addition to von Neumann, this high school produced two Nobel laureates. Do you know who they are?

• Young Mathematician, from a Hungarian publication. Date of this photo unknown.

• First Computer Image of John von Neumann.

Courtesy of the Archives of the Institute for Advanced Study (Princeton)

1. Portrait of John von Neumann (photographer unknown).

2. Portrait of John von Neumann (photographer unknown).

3. von Neumann in front of fireplace

4. Kari (John's wife), Inverse (dog) and von Neumann on couch

5. von Neumann standing in front of the Institute computer

6. J. Robert Oppenheimer and von Neumann in front of the Institute computer

7. Left to right: James Pomerence, Julian Bigelow, von Neumann and Herman Goldstine

8. Staff of the Electronic Computer Project

9. Left to right: unknown, unknown, Gerald Estrin, unknown, J. Robert Oppenheimer, unknown, Julian Bigelow, Norman Emslie, James Pomerence, hewitt Crane, and von Neumann

10. Left to right: Julian Bigelow, Herman Goldstine, J. Robert Oppenheimer, and von Neumann

11. von Neumann and guests looking at the Institute computer

12. The Institute computer

13. von Neumann, Julian Bigelow, James Pomerence, and Herman Goldstine

14. von Neumann and Oppenheimer