Monday 18 June 2012

Alan Turing: from birth to centenary





In Alan Turing's 42 years of life, his discoveries and inventions saved thousands of lives and paved the way for modern computing. Despite this, it has been only recently that he has been recognised for his achievements. Turing was eccentric to say the least, with a scruffy appearance and stammering speech. Turing's mother would have to write to him to remind him to buy "at least one suit a year". This did not stop him from holding up his trousers with string and wearing a pyjama top under his coat. In Hut 8, where he conducted most of his codebreaking at Bletchley, Turing would attach his tea mug to the radiator using a combination lock. During hay fever season, it wasn't uncommon to see Turing ride his bicycle to work wearing his government-issued gas mask.


Beyond his eccentricities, Turing was a brilliant academic and he was credited by Winston Churchill as having made the single biggest contribution to Allied victory in the war against Nazi Germany. Wired.co.uk has created a simple timeline of his achievements.


By: Olivia Solon, Edited by: Nate Lanxon


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via Wired.co.uk



http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2012-06/18/turing-timeline

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