Code breaking: Alan Turing

Alan Turing was an excellent mathematician and logician. He was born in June 23, 1912 in London.

During World War II he joined the Government Codes and Cypher School at Bletchley Park, where he created a machine that broke the enemy codes and shortened the war by two years. Later on, after the war he was given the OBE, an award for his services to the country.

In 1950, Turing wrote a book about the notion of an universal machine which is now the central concept of the modern computer. Two years after, in 1952, he was persecuted for homosexual acts, since at that time such behaviour was illegal.

Unfortunately, on 8 June 1954 Turing's housekeeper found him dead from cyanide poisoning.

 

Image from www.nature.com
 



From http://historysheroes.e2bn.org/hero/91

Written by Marisol Fernández, Noa García and Sofía López -   3rd A (9th grade).