Alan Turing

Alan Mathieson Turing
1912-1954
Father of Computer Science,
Mathemancian, Logician, Wartime Codebreaker, and Victim of Prejudice

The Father of Modern Computer Science Turing studied at King's College, Cambridge where he became a Fellow in 1935 and developed the concept known as the Turing machine, considered the basis for the modern theory of computation. The paper On Computable Numbers' describes the theory. It was published in 1936, whilst he studied for a PhD at Princeton University.

Cracking the Enigma Code
During the Second World War, Ti ing worked at Bletchley Park, the Government Code and Cypher Sche leadquarters where his invention the ‘Bombe’ was credited with
helping Allied Forces win the war. The
German Enigma Machine generated a constantly changing code to send encrypted messages to the German Military. 'Bombe' was able to decode these messages rapidly, keeping the Allied Forces one step ahead of the enemy, possibly shortening the war and saving thousands of lives.

After the war
Following the Second World War, Turing concentrated on the development of a machine that would logically process information. Turing has a well-established connection to Manchester. He moved here in 1949 and went on to develop the first digital computer, 'Baby', at The University of Manchester. He became part of the team responsible for most of the important breakthroughs in the development.of the computer. He also carried out work on the subject of artificial intelligence.

The Final Years
In 1952, Turing disclosed his homosexuality to a detective who was investigating a burglary at his home in Wilmslow. Homosexuality was a criminal offence at this time and Turing was arrested. He accepted hormone treatment, a procedure commonly referred to as chemical castration, as an alternative to prison. Additionally, homosexuals were considered to be "open to bribes" and as a result, Turing failed his security clearance at GCHQ, the post-war successor to Bletchley Park.
On 7th June 1954, was found dead in
his bedroom. A post-mortem examination established that the cause of death was cyanide poisoning.

Legacy
Whilst his work may not have been appreciated in his lifetime, it continues to impact people and society today. In September 2009, Prime Minister Gordon Brown issued Turing an unequivocal apology on behalf of the British Government:
"While Mr. Turing was dealt with under the law of the time and we can't put the clock back, his treatment was of course utterly unfair and I am pleased to say how deeply sorry I, and we all, are for what happened to him. So, on behalf of the British Government, and all those who live freely thanks to Alan's work, I am very proud to say: we're sorry, you deserved so much better."
In 2013, he received a Royal Pardon and in 2019, it was announced that Alan Turing would be commemorated on the Bank of England £50 note in circulation from 2021.

The Bank of England £50 note is a sterling banknote circulated in the United Kingdom. It is the highest denomination of banknote currently issued for public circulation by the Bank of England. The current note entered circulation on 5 June 2024. It bears the images of King Charles III on the obverse and computer scientist and World War II codebreaker Alan Turing on the reverse, with his birth date reflecting the release dateRead more