Alan Turing: The Father of Modern Computers

Early Life

• Birth: June 23, 1912, in Maida Vale, London.
• Family Background:
  • Father: Julius, a civil servant in India.
  • Mother: Ethel, daughter of the chief engineer of the Madras Railway.
  • Siblings: Brother named John.
• Education:
  • Showed exceptional potential in primary school.
  • Headmistress labeled him as a genius.
  • Attended Sherbourne School, traveled 60 miles on his first day due to a transport strike.

Academic Journey

• School Performance:
  • Excelled in mathematics and science despite poor English performance.
  • Studied works of Newton and Einstein.
• Friendship: Developed a deep friendship with Christopher Morcombe, described as Turing's first love.
• University:
  • Cambridge University: Awarded first-class honors in mathematics; elected a fellow of King's College.
  • Princeton University: Pursued a Ph.D.

Contributions to Computing

• Turing Machine: Published a paper in 1936 describing a mathematical model that would lead to the conception of the first computer.
• Bletchley Park:
  • Joined Government Code and Cypher School in 1938.
  • Developed the BOM machine to crack the Enigma Code, a crucial tool in WWII.
• Code-breaking Achievements:
  • Cracked 84,000 messages per month by 1943.
  • Led efforts to decode naval signals to combat U-boat attacks.
  • Developed techniques for the advanced Lorenz cipher used by Hitler.

Post-War Life

• Artificial Intelligence: Conceived the Turing Test to determine if a computer can think like a human.
• Recognition: Elected a fellow of the Royal Society in 1951, the UK's highest scientific award.

Personal Struggles

• Legal Issues: Convicted in 1952 for homosexual acts, leading to chemical castration.
• Career Impact: Prohibited from working in the British government's code-breaking center due to his criminal record.
• Death: Died in 1954 at age 41, suspected cyanide poisoning (officially ruled a suicide).

Legacy

• Posthumous Recognition:
  • Public apology from Prime Minister Gordon Brown in 2009.
  • Alan Turing Law passed in 2017 to wipe out records of men convicted of same-sex offences.
• Modern Influence: Turing's work laid the foundation for the computer age, influencing technology and information accessibility today.
• Cultural Myths: Misconceptions about the Apple logo being a tribute to Turing.

Conclusion

• Turing's contributions are pivotal to modern computing and the digital world, impacting how information is transmitted today.