"The first modern-style code ever executed on a computer was written in the 1940s, by a woman named Klára Dán von Neumann–or Klári to her family and friends. And the historic program she wrote was used to develop thermonuclear weapons. This season, we peer into a fascinating moment in postwar America through the prism of Klári’s work. We explore the evolution of early computers, the vital role women played in early programming, and the inextricable connection between computing and war."
Though it may seem far removed from the noise of the
contemporary world, the Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) has a
long history of combating threats to its scholars and their work.
Recent executive orders by President Trump attempting to
enforce...
The Institute for Advanced Study, since its founding in 1930,
has aspired to provide an unbiased environment for international
scholars to pursue vital and groundbreaking work in the sciences
and humanities. Its mission is to recruit the world’s...
In 1934, David Hilbert, by then a grand old man of German
mathematics, was dining with Bernhard Rust, the Nazi minister of
education. Rust asked, “How is mathematics at Göttingen, now that
it is free from the Jewish influence?” Hilbert replied,...
