In Memoriam: Peter G. Neumann (1932-2026)

Peter Gabriel Neumann-known throughout the field as PGN-died on May 17, 2026, aged 93, from complications of a traumatic fall. For seven decades, he chronicled how computer systems fail and patiently advocated for the principles that make them fail less often.

Neumann was born on Sept. 21, 1932, in New York City. He entered Harvard University in 1952 as a math major and took three Harvard degrees: an A.B. in mathematics (1954), and an S.M. (1955) and Ph.D. (1961) in applied mathematics. A Fulbright fellowship took him to Germany's Technische Hochschule Darmstadt for a second doctorate, a Dr. rerum naturarum (1960). As an undergraduate, he took several graduate courses in computer-related topics, including Howard Aiken's 1953 architecture course, and that summer, he programmed punch cards at the Naval Ordnance Laboratory. He dated his career as a computing professional to that year.