I've always been fascinated with Von Neumann. Inventing game theory, developing the quintessential computer architecture, putting quantum mechanics on an axiomatic basis, having almost as many theorems named after him as Gauss... Few of us can even hope to develop his depth of mastery in one field, much less in the breadth and variety of fields in which he achieved.
Neumann didn't develop the Von Neumann architecture. He was one of many who worked on the ENIAC/EDVAC machine where it was developed. He summarized much of the work that was done, in the abstract (meaning that it was not classified), and his First Draft was distributed.
Years later, when John Mauchly was defending his patents on digital computers (after it had become declassified), the First Report was brought up as a public disclosure.
