Alan Mathison Turing, (23 June 1912 ? 7 June 1954), was an English mathematician, logician, cryptanalyst and computer scientist. He was influential in the development of computer science and providing a formalization of the concept of the algorithm and computation with the Turing machine, playing a significant role in the creation of the modern computer.
During the Second World War, Turing worked for the Government Code and Cypher School at Bletchley Park, Britain's code breaking centre. For a time he was head of Hut 8, the section responsible for German naval cryptanalysis. He devised a number of techniques for breaking German ciphers, including the method of the bombe, an electromechanical machine that could find settings for the Enigma machine.
He was basically instrumental in breaking the Nazi messaging codes which aided the Allies war effort against the Nazi?s tremendously.
Well bravo you might say, surely he should be treated as a hero back in good old Mother England. Well that wasn?t the case when they found out he was gay.
Turing's homosexuality resulted in a criminal prosecution in 1952?homosexual acts were illegal in the United Kingdom at that time?and he accepted treatment with female hormones, chemical castration, as an alternative to prison. That?s right people, a man who did more to stop the Nazi?s than Winston Churchill, and who is owed the thanks of everyone who ever used a computer, was subjected to chemical treatment that resulted in him growing boobs just because he didn?t run around chasing skirts.
We didn?t even treat Nazi war criminals that badly.
In any case he died in 1954 at the age of 42, quite possibly from suicide.
On 10 September 2009, following an Internet campaign, then-British Prime Minister Gordon Brown made an official public apology on behalf of the British government for the way in which Turing was treated after the war.
During the Second World War, Turing worked for the Government Code and Cypher School at Bletchley Park, Britain's code breaking centre. For a time he was head of Hut 8, the section responsible for German naval cryptanalysis. He devised a number of techniques for breaking German ciphers, including the method of the bombe, an electromechanical machine that could find settings for the Enigma machine.
He was basically instrumental in breaking the Nazi messaging codes which aided the Allies war effort against the Nazi?s tremendously.
Well bravo you might say, surely he should be treated as a hero back in good old Mother England. Well that wasn?t the case when they found out he was gay.
Turing's homosexuality resulted in a criminal prosecution in 1952?homosexual acts were illegal in the United Kingdom at that time?and he accepted treatment with female hormones, chemical castration, as an alternative to prison. That?s right people, a man who did more to stop the Nazi?s than Winston Churchill, and who is owed the thanks of everyone who ever used a computer, was subjected to chemical treatment that resulted in him growing boobs just because he didn?t run around chasing skirts.
We didn?t even treat Nazi war criminals that badly.
In any case he died in 1954 at the age of 42, quite possibly from suicide.
On 10 September 2009, following an Internet campaign, then-British Prime Minister Gordon Brown made an official public apology on behalf of the British government for the way in which Turing was treated after the war.
