Alan Turing is considered the father of theoretical computer science and artificial intelligence. Though he helped save an estimated 14 million lives by decoding Nazi communications in World War II, and made revolutionary developments in several fields, Turing was later prosecuted by the British government for “homosexual acts.”
Turing had quite an extensive list of abilities: he was a computer scientist, mathematician, logician, cryptanalyst, philosopher and theoretical biologist. He played a vital role in the development of theoretical computer science and formalizing algorithm and computation concepts. The system he developed during World War II was one of the earliest computer models.
Turing was born in London in 1912. His remarkable mind was evident from a young age; at 23, he disproved a critical mathematical theory and formalized revolutionary constructs later known as “Turing machines.”
During World War II, Turing worked for the Government Code and Cypher School, a British codebreaking center. He made improvements on the Polish bombe method which cracked the Enigma machine, a machine developed by Germans to protect communication. The machine decoded intercepted messages, helping the Allies defeat the Nazis in battles such as the Battle of the Atlantic and helped win the war.
It was later estimated that his work shortened the war by over two years and saved more than 14 million people. After the war, Turing designed ACE (Automatic Computing Engine), one of the earliest designs for the stored-program computer.
Since 1885, “gross indecency” (homosexuality) was illegal in the UK under the Labouchere Amendment. Turing was prosecuted in 1952 for “homosexual acts.” He underwent chemical castration as an alternative to prison, which made him become impotent and caused gynecomastia.
Turing died in 1954 from cyanide poisoning. It has been speculated that the poisoning was self-inflicted, but accidental poisoning is also a possibility. In 2009 the British Prime Minister made an official public apology on behalf of British government for the “appalling way [Turing] was treated.” Turing was also granted a posthumous pardon by the Queen in 2013. The law that pardoned men convicted under the legislation outlawing homosexual acts is often called the “Alan Turing Law.”
Readers are encouraged to learn more about this exceptional man and his other accomplishments from documentaries such as the BBC’s “The Strange Life and Death of Dr. Turing” and enjoy the fictitious but compelling films “The Imitation Game” and “Codebreaker.”
Caroline Fritz is a third-year student majoring in English, and minoring in French and linguistics. ✉ CF853302@wcupa.edu.