Alan Turing (1912-1954)
An eccentric British mathematician, widely considered to be the father of computer science and artificial intelligence.
Turing broke the Nazi Enigma code, playing a crucial role in the allied victory in WWII.
#LGBTVoices
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At 13, he was sent to a large boarding school, with a rigid syllabus, so Turing studied advanced modern scientific ideas, such as relativity, on his own.
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He also introduced the notion of a universal computing machine, the "Turing Machine” — the basis of the modern computer.
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Its purpose was to decode the Enigma, the principal cipher machine used by German military to encrypt radio communications, thought to be unbreakable.
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His work shortened the war by more than 2 years and saved over 14 million lives.
At the war's end, Turing was named Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE).
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In 1950, he wrote a pivotal paper on artificial intelligence, and proposed the “Turing Test," which is remains relevant today.
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In 1952, he was arrested and charged with “indecency” after a brief relationship with another man.
Defiant, Turing did not deny the charges.
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Turing refused to let it sway him from his work.
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It's believed that led to him taking his own life in 1954, by eating an apple laced with cyanide.
Turing was only 41 years old.
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60 years later, Queen Elizabeth II officially pardoned him.
In 2017, the UK passed "The Alan Turing law"— which retroactively pardoned men convicted for homosexuality.
nytimes.com/2017/01/31/wor…
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