Includes bibliographical references and index.

Introduction: Who was John von Neumann? -- Made in Budapest -- To infinity and beyond -- The quantum evangelist -- Project Y and the super -- The convoluted birth of the modern computer -- A theory of games -- The think tank by the sea -- The rise of the replicators -- Epilogue: The man from which future?

Born in Budapest at the turn of the century, John von Neumann is one of the most influential scientists to have ever lived. His colleagues believed he had the fastest brain on the planet - bar none. He was instrumental in the Manhattan Project and helped formulate the bedrock of Cold War geopolitics and modern economic theory. He created the first ever programmable digital computer. He prophesied the potential of nanotechnology and, from his deathbed, expounded on the limits of brains and computers - and how they might be overcome. Taking us on an astonishing journey, Ananyo Bhattacharya explores how 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.