The Birth of Computer Science
The story of Alan Turing and John von Neumann, two brilliant minds who laid the foundation for modern computing from Princeton, New Jersey.
The Journey of two Pioneers
1936 – 1938
Turing at Princeton University
Alan Turing arrives from Cambridge to study under Alonzo Church, publishes "On Computable Numbers," and completes his PhD.
30 Jun 1945
EDVAC Draft in Fuld Hall
From his IAS office, von Neumann circulates the seminal "First Draft of a Report on the EDVAC," detailing the stored-program concept.
1946 – 1951
Electronic Computer Project
Working in a Fuld Hall basement, von Neumann, Bigelow, and Goldstine build the IAS computer—prototype for modern machines.
10 Jun 1952
IAS Computer Goes Live
The IAS machine runs its first full program, inspiring clones like JOHNNIAC and MANIAC.
Special thanks to Professor Andrew Appel, who shared his bookAlan Turing's Systems of Logic: The Princeton Thesiswith me and advised me on the project along with Professor Brian Kernighan.
Princeton: A Place of Discovery
Scroll to explore the places where Alan Turing and John von Neumann lived and worked at Princeton.
Princeton: The Setting
Fuld Hall, IAS – von Neumann's office
1933-1957
The Birth of Modern Computing
Here at Fuld Hall, von Neumann developed his groundbreaking computer architecture. In 1945, he wrote the 'First Draft of a Report on the EDVAC', which outlined the stored-program concept that would become the foundation of modern computing.
First Draft of a Report on the EDVAC
June 30, 1945
The report described the logical design of a computer that would store both its program and data in the same memory space.
Von Neumann home, 26 Westcott Rd
1933-1957
Life in Princeton
Von Neumann lived here with his wife Klara and daughter Marina. Known for his legendary parties, this home became a gathering place for some of the greatest minds of the 20th century.
Personal Correspondence
1940s
Letters reveal von Neumann's deep engagement with both scientific and social aspects of Princeton life.
Old Fine Hall (now Jones Hall) – Turing's office
1936-1938
Turing's Doctoral Years
Here, Turing completed his PhD under Alonzo Church, developing his ideas about computability and the Turing machine. His thesis, 'Systems of Logic Based on Ordinals', was completed in this building.
PhD Thesis
1938
The thesis introduced the concept of ordinal logic and explored the limits of mathematical proof.
Graduate College tower – Turing's residence
1936-1938
Life as a Graduate Student
Turing lived in the Graduate College during his time at Princeton. It was here that he developed many of his ideas about computation and artificial intelligence.
Turing's Princeton Acceptance Letter
1937
The letter from the Dean of the Graduate College to Turing's brother, detailing Turing's acceptance into the PhD program.
Fuld Hall Basement – IAS Computer Lab
1946-1952
Where Vacuum Tubes Met Logic
In this cramped basement room, von Neumann's team wired 1,700 tubes into what became the IAS machine prototype. Engineers Julian Bigelow and Herman Goldstine debugged circuits here night after night.
IAS Computer Announcement
1952
A high speed electronic digital computing machine has been completed and put into operation at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey... The machine is designed to perform very high speed calculations in pure and applied mathematics and in mathematical physics.
IAS Computer Building, 1 Einstein Dr.
1951-1958
Birthplace of the 'von Neumann Architecture'
On 10 June 1952 the IAS machine ran its first weather-simulation here, inspiring copy-cats like MANIAC and JOHNNIAC.
Meteorological Computing at IAS
1952
Several twelve-hour meteorological predictions covering the continental United States, each amounting to about 800,000 multiplications and requiring about one hour of continuous computing time. This last work is only the first step in an extensive research program in theoretical meteorology being carried out at the Institute for Advanced Study.
Firestone Library — Turing's study spot
1936-1938
Late-Night Reading Sessions
Special thanks to the Shelby White and Leon Levy Archives Center and the Mudd Manuscript Library at Princeton for allowing me to browse and use their collections.
John von Neumann
Pioneer of mathematics, physics, and computer science. Key figure at the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton.
Resignation from IAS
Letter from Whitman to Neumann's Daughter
Thanking Oppi
Sillman Committe to Oppi
Scientific Work of Neumann
Raise of Salary
Prof Morse about Neumann
Oppi Reply To Silliman Committe
Neumann Thanking Oppi for Book
Neumann Letters about moving to Princeton
Neumann Description of Project
Letter to Frank From Los Alamos
Letter to Flexner about Dr Martin Neumann
Letters to Bailey Neumann
Letter From Klari near Death
IAS Bio of Neumann
Death of Neumann's mother
Death of Neumann at IAS
Bailey Letters Neumann House
Admin Letters from Bailey Neumann
Alan Turing
Pioneer of computer science and artificial intelligence. Famous for the Turing machine and codebreaking at Bletchley Park.