Remarkable Person

^{Alan Turing (1912-1954)- The Founder of Computer Science}

Alan Turing was born on June 23, 1912 in Paddington, London. He was the second and last child of Julius Mathinson and Ethel Sara Turing. Julius Mathinson was a member of the Indian Civil Service and was serving in Madras where he met Ethel, the daughter of the chief engineer of the Madras railways. Due to the demands of his father’s job Alan and his older brother John spent most of their childhood in and out of different foster homes while their parents travelled between India and London. As a child he was greatly influenced by the popular book, “Natural Wonders Every Child Should Know.” He began to show great interest in science, which was first recognized at the age of 6 while attending St. Michael’s. At the age of 14 he went on to Sherborne School, a prestigious and expensive public school in Dorset. He became quick friends with an older student named Christopher Morcom, who shared Turing’s passion for science. Morcom died suddenly in February of 1930 due to complications from bovine tuberculosis. Turing’s spiritual convictions were broken and he became an atheist believing that the makings of the human mind were purely materialistic. Alan thought it his duty to finish Morcom’s work in his absence. In letters addressed to Morcom’s mother Alan expressed his forming thoughts and questions about the human mind, particularly Christopher’s, being embodied in matter and whether or not the matter could be released by death.

As an undergraduate student at King’s College, Turing’s homosexuality became a definitive part of his identity. Although, he did not submerse himself in the homosexual movements on campus and spent most of his free time rowing, running, and sailing. Turing began researching mathematical logic at King’s college and was recognized as a Fellow of the college in 1935. Turing then began to solve a question posed by the mathematician Hilbert that remained unanswered: “Could there exist, at least in principle, a definite method of process by which it could be decided whether any given mathematical assertion was provable?” (Bear with me. This is way over my head.) Turing needed to find a method that was absolute and arguably compelling. He began considering what accomplishments could be made by performing a systematically fixed process mechanically. He contended with conviction that a machine was sufficient enough to comprehend and incorporate everything that was needed for a definitive method.

It is fairly easy to dispute a number of Turing’s advancements in computer science by the concepts constructed today that makes a computer run efficiently. However, we must note that no such ideas existed in 1936 and the idea for the Turing Machine was completely built out of the mathematic imagination inside of Turing’s head. It wasn’t until 9 years later that the electronic technology needed for the assembly and testing of the Turing Machine was practical enough to transfer Turing’s logic and ideas into engineering.

In 1936 Turing began studying at Princeton in New Jersey. During his time at Princeton Turing worked in complete isolation and his progression in computer science were all but discarded. Then Turing introduced the idea of the Universal Turing machine. He constructed the possibility of an infinite number of Turing machines each corresponding to a definitive method. Meaning one machine, for all possible tasks.

During Turing’s time at Princeton he also built a machine using electromagnetic relays to multiply binary numbers and extensively studied cryptanalysis. This caught the attention of Britain’s Government Code and Cipher Headquarters in Bletchley Park and they asked him to work for them. During his time at GCHQ he was head of Hut 8, the code-breaking center responsible for breaking German naval ciphers. Turing devised a number of techniques to assist in the process of German cipher breaking. His most notorious technique was the creation of the bombe, an electromechanical machine that could find settings for the German used Enigma machine drastically reducing the number of settings needing to be investigated.

During his time at Hut 8 he proposed to a fellow mathematician and co-work, Joan Clarke. However, their engagement was short lived after Turing admitted his homosexuality.

After his time at Hut 8 he worked at the National Physical Laboratory where he created the first design for a stored-program computer, The ACE (Automatic Computer Engine.) He was still a correspondent for the Government Code and Cipher and further assisted in cryptanalysis for the remainder of WWII.

In 1949 he became deputy director of computing laboratory at The University of Manchester. There he worked on software for one the earliest stored-program computers, The Manchester Mark 1.

In January of 1952 Turing met a 19-year-old by the name of Arnold Murray. The two began a sexual relationship that was ended abruptly when Murray assisted in an attempted robbery of Turing’s home. Turing reported the incident and upon investigation was found guilty of gross indecency under Section 111 of the Criminal Law Amendment. Turing’s conviction enabled him from continuing to work for the GCHQ.

Turing was given the choice of imprisonment (which was a dangerous place for a man of his conviction) or chemical castration. Turing chose chemical castration and underwent a series of hormonal injections to reduce his sexual desires. The estrogen resulted in the growing of breasts, which humiliated him.

Turing died on June 8, 1954 shortly after turning 42. Turing’s cleaner found his body. He had been dead for a day. An apple laced with cyanide was found on his bedside table. Turing’s mother argued endlessly that her son’s death was an accident caused by careless storage of chemicals, however many people had heard Turing talk about suicide and his wish to be dead.

On September 10^th, 2009 Prime Minister Gordon Brown made a public apology on Britain’s behalf for the way Alan Turing was treated after the war.