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A sculpture that shows computer pioneer Alan Turing looking down at the Enigma Machine was created from stacked slate by British artist Stephen Kettle.
The June 23 centennial of Alan Turing's birth is providing an opportunity to look back at the brilliant life and tragic end of a pioneer in computer science — a Briton who was instrumental in cracking Germany's Enigma code and turning the tide of World War II, but who killed himself after his humiliation by a society that saw homosexuality as a crime.
Turing came up with the concept of a "universal machine" back in 1936, setting the stage for the quest to create artificial intelligence. It's a quest that's as old as Ovid's Metamorphoses and as new as IBM's Watson. His vision of a computer so knowledgeable and adept in the ways of society that humans would think it was human, too, led to the establishment of the "Turing Test" as a classic gauge of machine intelligence. (Some argue that a program called Cleverbot passed the Turing Test last year.)
His greatest contribution came during the war, when he designed an electromechanical device known as the "bombe." With additional refinements, the cabinet-sized machine at Britain's Bletchley Park could decode thousands of intercepted German messages, tipping off the allies about the Nazis' next moves.
The intelligence gleaned by the Bletchley Park team, code-named Ultra, was crucial to the Allied war effort. "It was thanks to Ultra that we won the war," British Prime Minister Winston Churchill told King George VI.
Gay hero? Or just plain hero?
The postwar era, however, was a disaster for Turing, who was gay. He got into a messy relationship with a man who helped an accomplice break into Turing's house — and after Turing reported the burglary, the investigation of the break-in eventually turned into an investigation of the researcher's sexual behavior.
At that time, in 1952, homosexual behavior fell under a criminal category known as gross indecency, and Turing's conviction could have put him in prison. As an alternative, Turing chose chemical castration through hormone injections. His security clearance was revoked, and he was barred from working for the British government. Turing pressed for a change in Britain's laws, but homosexuality remained a criminal offense in Britain until 1967.
That was way too late for Turing. Two years after his conviction, he died in his laboratory after eating a poisoned apple.
In 2009, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown issued a posthumous apology to Turing, saying that the computer pioneer "truly was one of those individuals we can point to whose unique contribution helped to turn the tide of war."
"The debt of gratitude he is owed makes it all the more horrifying, therefore, that he was treated so inhumanely," Brown said. "We're sorry. You deserved so much better."
A video produced in conjunction with the Science Museum's "Codebreaker" exhibit in London explores the life and work of Alan Turing.
Today, Turing is hailed in some quarters as a tragic gay hero. But during this centennial year, the spotlight is squarely on science rather than sex. Google executive Vinton Cerf, who's considered one of the creators of the Internet, said in a BBC retrospective that he hoped this year's exhibits and observances would "help make Turing a hero and household name beyond the technical community that reveres his memory."
Texts on Turing
Cerf's tribute is one of seven essays on Turing's life and legacy being posted to the BBC's website this week. Wired's British website is also presenting a rich variety of perspectives to celebrate Turing Week. This weekend, luminaries from around the world will gather at the University of Manchester for a Turing centenary conference. Video from the conference is due to be streamed live. It's all part of Alan Turing Year.
To read up on Turing and his times, you can start with Andrew Hodges' 1983 biography, "Alan Turing: The Enigma," which has been reissued in a centenary edition. (In addition to the book, Hodges maintains a biographical website at Turing.org.uk.) There's also a centenary edition of "Alan M. Turing," the biography written in 1959 by Sara Turing, Alan's mother. "The Man Who Knew Too Much" is a more recent biography of the great man, written by David Leavitt in 2006.
Charles Petzold's "The Annotated Turing" delves into Alan Turing's groundbreaking 1936 paper, while Princeton University Press is putting out "Alan Turing's Systems of Logic: The Princeton Thesis," a facsimile edition of Turing's Ph.D. thesis. There's also "The Essential Turing," a compilation of the researcher's best-known writings. And if you're looking for something fresh that puts Turing's achievements in a wider context, check out George Dyson's book, "Turing's Cathedral: The Origins of the Digital Universe."
Any birthday wishes you'd like to pass along for the centennial? Feel free to post them as comments below.
More about the history of computing:
- A brief history of computers
- British code crackers reunite, pride unbroken
- Museum celebrates 2,000 years of computing
- For tech pioneer IBM, 100 years of 'Think'
Alan Boyle is msnbc.com's science editor. Connect with the Cosmic Log community by "liking" the log's Facebook page, following @b0yle on Twitter and adding the Cosmic Log page to your Google+ presence. You can also check out "The Case for Pluto," my book about the controversial dwarf planet and the search for new worlds.
Leave a Comment:
It's extremely tragic that such a brilliant and amazing man was treated so disrespectfully and even less than human. This is the first time I've heard about Mr. Turing's life and find it all very surreal. I definitely want to learn more about this tragic hero while his life is being celebrated in the upcoming events.
Happy 100th birthday, Alan Turing. Thank you for everything you accomplished for humanity. I'm sorry humanity wasn't kind to you.
Great article as always, Alan!
If there is a God, he and Mr. Turing are tuning up the great computer that runs it all right now.
Get over it, homophobes - or at least get out of the way.
What a brilliant man and what a tragic story, the day after the Southern Baptist Convention issues it's sad, misguided statement that Gay Rights are not Civil Rights.
What a sad commentary on bigotry and intolerance.
Happy Birthday Mr. Turing, I wish you were here to celebrate it.
Imagine the good a mind that brilliant could have accomplished for humanity.
Skip .... to use religion as a reason to say same gender sex is not a civil right is rediculous. But I would have to agree that same gender sex tendencies is not the same as civil rights. You can not equate discrimination based on a normal human condition with a genetic defective that is species anti-survival trait, they are not the same thing at all. That does not mean there should not be pity or tolerence as long as the individual agrees to not reproduce or justify any physical abuse ... but it is not on the same level as civil rights any more than any other mental defective condition outside an individuals control.
Dennis,
Who are you to determine which genetic "defects" (as you call them) are to be judged worthy of legal protection and which ones aren't?
That is the entire point of our constitution -- all people are created equal and are afforded the same protections regardless of who they are.
I'm sorry to be the one to inform you, but the decisions of civil rights is way above your pay grade.
Great reply, Dan. Dennis's ignorance is quite appalling. It's sad anyone still thinks this way in 2012.
Dennis,
The Civil Rights Act of1964, while not specifically mentioning sexual preference, says that all Americans are entitled to the same treatment. The Constitution and it's amendments clearly state that "all men are created equal" and are endowed with certain inalienable rights.
You cannot deny the benefits of marriage to one group of citizens solely on a religious basis and that's what the current discussion regarding the gay and lesbian communities is based on, religious intolerance.
Currently they are being denied the right to visit their loved ones in intensive care, they cannot inherit without the benefit of a will and they can't be placed on their partner's insurance. That is unequal treatment under the law. All because some religious nuts believe that gay relationships are a sin.
Bull-crap!
I am a state-certified and experienced Civil Rights investigator. No, I am not gay. But I believe in equal rights for all, that includes gay, lesbian and trans-gender Americans.
But you're right about one thing. It all comes down to gay sex doesn't it? Well, a loving relationship is more than just sex. When you think about heterosexual relationships you don't concentrate on the sex do you? That would be very sad and immature.
So, get over yourself. The Southern Baptist Convention is still mired in the 19th Century. There is no hope for them.
I think Dennis' point is that sexual preference is not on par with race and gender as far as government actions are concerned. In fact, gender receives only what is called "middle-tier" or "second-tier" scrutiny when a court reviews a law or governmental action that is alleged to discriminate based upon sex. "Scrutiny" means the set of rules or factors that the court uses in deciding the matter. "Middle-tier" review accepts that a certain amount of gender discrimination is acceptable if the alleged discriminatory classification serves an important state interest and that the classification is at least substantially related to serving that interest. First tier, or "strict" scrutiny by a court examines the case to see if the challenged classification serves a compelling state interest and if the classification of the individual is necessary to serve that interest. Claims that an unfavorable government action is based upon race is always decided under strict scrutiny. Third tier scrutiny is also called the "rational basis" test. Under this test the courts look to see if the government action is rationally related to accomplish a legitimate governmental purpose. Third tier analysis is used when the question concerns classes of people such as those with mental disabilities, homosexuals, children, etc.
I agree that all men (generalized term to include women) are/should be equal under the law. So given this is true why do we continue to make new laws that define "extraordinary" rights for certain groups? The intent of the CRA was to further codify that equality was to be provided to all without discrimination - it did not say go out and correct the past.
The financial and social costs of bigotry are beyond comprehension. What would the information age look like had touring lived to see it. Where would our economy be had Bush never been elected by the brilliant strategy of Carl Rove to put gay marraige on state ballots to fire up the bigots to show up to vote. How many other "fabulous" inventors, artists, scientists, and innovators have lost their life to suicide and or murder due to bigotry and hatred. It truly cannot be measured. What a sad, sad failure of humanity.
Very well put, SanityCheck! I have to assume that hateful trolls like Dennis never listen to Tchaikovsky's music, refuse to look at da Vinci's art or science, and would consign Maurice Sendak's books to a furnace.
No doubt the thought of Turing wearing a pink triangle - at least till he was "eugenicized" - brings shudders of perverse joy to someone who would have been willing to let western democracy fall under under Nazi rule, so long as it preserved his idea of sexual purity.
Dennis seems to forget that homosexuals are born from heterosexual parents. Homosexuality does not beget homosexuality. Someone needs to go back to school and get an education.
A brilliant man, a good citizen - sadly, judged not for his contributions to the war effort and defeating the Nazis, but harshly judged for who he loved.....
After what they did to him, we ended up losing one of the greatest minds ever known to man. A mind that contributed to Fractals and the scientific study of Chaos theory and the concept of emerging order within nature. His loss to science is unmeasurable! And that is as strong of an understatement as one can possibly make.
Are you sure that you're thinking about Alan Turing? I've read Hodges' 632 page 'Alan Turing: The Enigma' as well as several codebreaking books that go into Turing's life but have never heard about him in connection with fractals and chaos theory. Did you mean Henri Poincare?
(Not trying to be a know-it-all actually the opposite, if you've brought a side of Turing I never heard of I'd thank you for it.)
Regardless it's sad that we lost another great mind for such a trivial reason as homophobia. Imagine where we'd be now if had lived a full life!
Watch the secret life of Chaos.. Good series :)... But I did mix up Alan Turing with Benoît Mandelbrot. So I do apologize for my error there :)
I've never heard of Alan Turing ....
Kind of a sad video ....
He would be amazed at our computing capabilities now ....
"Happy 100th Birthday Alan Turing"
And thanks for your contributions to these sciences ....
Thanks Alan ....
If it weren't for Alan Turing, I wouldn't be writing this on the Internet. And you wouldn't be reading it!
Happy 100th birthday, Alan Turing, wherever and whoever you are. I hope you're being treated with the respect and admiration you deserve.
Wow. He might have lived for 10 or more years and just think how much farther computer science would might be now. How much farther along might all science be now if he'd lived. Bigotry has cost us so many minds, so much wisdom and forward thinking. I hope that someone incorporates his achievments into history lessons in the US, too many have forgotten all the achievments and sacrifices made by the members of the Greatest Generation of which Alan Turing was a member.
Happy 100th birthday, Mr. Turing. May we learn from you.
Turing was 41 when he died. What do you mean "He might have lived ... 10 ... more years...?"
Otherwise I'd agree with your post. He was a true genius and it is a shame and a loss to all humanity that his life was cut short.
He said 10 OR more years. Life expectancies weren't as long as they are now. Heck, he could still be alive today.
What a tragic end to a true pioneer. It is really sad to see that in the years that has past this behavior is still way to common. In reading this you would think that in 2012 we would be much more tolerant but sadly no.
I'm sure the ignorant are amazed that there were gay people way back then .... Like they have not been around FOREVER..
Sad to read his story - wake up America - 2012.
I am not gay or homophobic - I am happily married with kids but see the world as a place for everyone.
Thank you Allen for your contribution to science, i agree with all the above post. Its so sad your fantastic mind ended the way it had. let's hope mankind will learn from this though i wont hold my breath. your name will be recorded in history as a leading light, to show us the way.
Thank you, Alan Boyle, for calling this out and bringing proper attention to someone who made an incredible difference for what is good and right in the world, but was destroyed by the same world that used his genius when convenient and discarded him out of ignorant "morality" and "decency". Alan Turing assisted humanity, ALL of humanity, in one of the most incredible ways and yet society casually threw him to the curb for his percieved "indecency". This man's breakthrough on logic and computing took us to where we are today and for that I am forever grateful.
And not a single mention of the Poles, who began breaking Germany's Enigma ciphers in 1932.
I don't think anyone is trying to take anything away from the Polish contribution. If I remember the story correctly the Poles made great steps in breaking early simplified versions of the Enigma using a method and logic that no one else including the British or Americans were able to come up with. However, when the Enigma was made more complex they were unable to decipher further messages and so turned over what they had to the French and British. Alan Turing took what they had done so far and improved on them cracking later versions of the Enigma significantly aiding the Allies cause.
I don't think the author is trying to take anything away from the Poles. But the story barely touches on Enigma and is more a story on the life of Alan Turing.
not to mention Swedish scientist Arne Beurling as well: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arne_Beurling
@rabbit6 No that's not quite correct. The Poles had achieved a high degree of success on what were then the most complex Enigma codes, but thereafter (1939) changes in encryption made by the Germans required that 10X more calculations be performed to decrypt messages, which was beyond the Polish organization's resources. When the Germans entered Poland, which the Poles already knew would happen due to having broken the German codes, the Polish crypto bureau disbanded and the staff scattered across western Europe, mostly to France. Some of them continued to do decryption work in France (cooperating with Bletchley Park) and elsewhere later during the war.
The US denied Turing a visa due to his conviction, which came during the anti-commie & anti-gay insanity in America. That ended several collaborative efforts Turing had with researchers in the US.
This GENIUS, we refuse yet we sneak in THOUSANDS of war criminals from Germany AND Japan!! All because of close-mindedness. We are such a fu+ked up people on this planet.
MONEY always wins over "morality"
Happy Birthday you beautiful genius!! I wish we could have had your brains for a lifetime! Maybe we WOULD be out in the Stars by now instead of stuck in this faux-morality morass.
A brilliant man treated like a criminal for his sexual preference. I feel that this puritanical nonsense is the downfall of modern man. This sense of dark ages thought is worse now than it was during his time.
Unless he promoted his deviant lifestyle to minors, his personal life should have been overlooked.
"devianat life style"
His lifestye was no more deviant than anyone else's. Your comment is damming with faint praise.
Deviant?????? In which millineum do you live?
BW ......de·vi·ant (dv-nt)
adj.
Differing from a norm or from the accepted standards of a society.
n.
One that differs from a norm, especially a person whose behavior and attitudes differ from accepted social standards
Yes deviant then and deviant now. That does not excuse the way he was treated after accepting medical assistence for his condition.
Wrong Dennis. Many societies have different norms and who are you to say what is deviant. Then again what is the norm today. No one can define it and large swaths of population wouldn't agree with others on what a norm (or your norm is)
Dennis, a single post is sufficient to establish your credentials as a prejudiced right-winger. Need you prove it further?
Dan ........ As a matter of fact my political views are neither to the right nor to the left. Not quite sure how a political stance has bearing on a social or species issue though. Before you use another rediculous label to ease your guilt or make you feel justified I am also an atheist.
Adam ... you missed the point of posting the definition, it is not any individual that decides what is or is not deviant it is society. Just because there is a determined push at social engineering in the last 20 years it has not changed social values for 95% of society. Social change is only effective when it origiantes from the populous and that is not happening irregardless of what the extreme left would like to think. That type of social enfgineering failed in Europe, Russia, China, Cuba etc.
Happy Birthday Allan, if anything, you were indecently brilliant compared to the rest of us.
I am amazed that Google missed using this on their page! Who better!
I'm guessing that since his birthday isn't until June 23rd, Google is waiting until then to do their thing.
I saw a piece on tv years ago on Allan Turing.
It is reprehensible the way he and many others were treated back in the "dark ages".
Happy birthday to a brilliant man who left too soon.
So he was instrumental in helping win WWII and we then chemically castrated him for being gay, destroyed his career and personal life, which led to suicide? Wow. Aren't we a grateful bunch.
The only thing that right wing fundamentalists regret about Turing's suicide is that somebody didn't kill him sooner.
And I see we here in the U.S. are still on the forefront of gay rights (uh, that's sarcasm).
What a sad world we live in when a story about the morons in congress gets more replies than a brilliant man who basically won WWII for the allies.
Happy Birthday Mr. Turning. For a hero you were treated so cruely.
To paraphrase Churchill--"Never was so much owed by so many to so few" Alan you are definitely one of those few who made a real difference. In computer science and more importantly saving humanity from the NAZI scourge. Your contributions permitted the Allies to keep just enough ahead to tip the scales and finally help defeat the Axis. Happy one hundreth, you will not be forgotten.
Alan Turing's contributions to logic were abstract and only obliquely relevant to the development of what we have in hand today. His most important contribution to computer meta-theory was in the field of decidability theory as a formal construct of the upper limit of the possible. This is not to undermine his importance and brilliance but there were other contemporary genius's that had more of a role in the development of usable computers. Just saying...
Clearly, the way he was treated after being so instrumental in stopping the NAZI horror was a black mark on Western culture. Unfortunately, the ignorance shown in his abuse is still alive and well and living in Arizona.
Do not demonize "western culture". Just how many cultures can you name where same gender sex is accepted as a social norm? Revulsion at the very thought is pretty much universal in all cultures and is a genetic based reaction having nothing to do with religion idiocy. Basically religion is just a tribal tool to enforce social norms anyway.
Dennis, please continue to spew this stuff. It's a prime example of the ignorance used to oppress others. The more examples we see, the more real thinking people will realize how idiotic your way of thinking is. Thanks for that!
Dennis,
Are you saying that the maniacs running around protesting the funerals of fallen soldiers is an enforcement of social norms? Or the demand that the 'One True god' be the only one any of our children should be allowed to pray to in public schools is based on social norms? Illusion based on delusion seems to be a social norm to you! LOL Sorry, but your sick mind will not be allowed to poison the rest of us.
Paul .... you may want to reconsider the use of the term "ignorance" when you parrot buzzwords like "oppress" and "real thinking people". It displays a disconnect with reality. There is no more "oppression" (nor should there be) then there is "oppression" of an individual with autism or schizophrenia.
tex ....... How do you connect anything stated with the acts of mentally disturbed individuals? How do you connect anything stated with a violation of the Constitutional seperation of church and state, or with any belief system in a mythical supernatural omnipotent entity? Nor have you answered the question I posed, you demonized "western culture" and I asked for examples of other cultures that differed. I expected you to bring up ancient greece, the ottoman empire for two examples and you failed. My response was to point out that the culture as a whole that behaviour was not accepted, it was the small group at the upper levels where it was acceptable. Oh well, inteligent discussion seems to not be the agenda.
If you walk into a room with 100 people and there is a group of 5 in a corner who all agree on a particular subject they will feel they are the majority even though 95 individuals disagree. That is the your situation today. Those who represent the thinking of the 5 only associate together so think they are the majority while the 95 ignore the 5 and live their lives as if they do not exist.
I love how msnbc is trying to spin the story on the gay thing! Hey msnbc... why can't you just write about how brilliant of a man he was?!? This shouldn't even be under the 'Cosmic Log' either... this is a tech article.
you don't think the tragic way his govt treated him after he saved them is worthy of note???
The man is a hero of the free world and then faces prison or chemical castration because he was gay. And you don't think that is worth noting.
thank god fools like you can no longer keep people pushed into the closet. We need to start pushing people like you into the closet and let society move forward.
He was a hero period... not because he was gay!
BTW...Name calling gets you reported!
Name calling get you reported. Try acting like an adult and don't be so sensitive. You can not seperate the two situations when talking about an individual. He was a hero who was persecuted because he was gay.
OurGovSucks
Wow and your user handle is not name calling? Here's a name, hypocrite.
Thanks
Saying that the our government sucks is not calling you are anyone else names. You called me a fool... thats name calling. I'm surprised you couldn't figure that out on your own.
I would call name calling anything where an insult is directed at another person or group. Also by the way I did not call you a fool, I am not surprised you could not work that out on your own.
Fini.
I quote "thank god fools like you" and lets not forget "Here's a name, hypocrite." Make a fist, then raise your index finger, then your middle finger. Thats calling me two names unless you cant count.
Please oh please try and explain how I exactly insulted you with my user name. Unless you are one of the ones that runs our country. If you are, why are you wasting our tax dollar by spending time on here?!? Also, IF you are one of the ones that run our country, you do suck!
damn.....who knew?? a brilliant man who should be held up as a hero of the free world.
in 1957 he faced going to prison or castration because he was gay?? 1957?? That is not that long ago. They people who supported crazy thinking like that are still alive today.
what a shame. brilliant man. A hero of the free world.
The only crazy part was that if he submitted to castration why was there a need to revoke his security clearance? He agreed to not reproduce and the castration would have ended his genetic defect tendencies.
Dennis to males can not reproduce. Keep talking about genetics defects and homosexuality. I'll wait to read your thesis on this as you seem to make yourself out to be a social geneticist. Its really funny that you think that castration would effect genetics tendencies.
Adam ... I am surprised! Has it not been the rally cry for generations that same gender tendencies was a genetic condition and not a life-style choice by an individual? Are you now saying that it is indeed a choice an individual makes? I strongly suspect you will agree it indeed is a condition genetic based. Next question is if it a defect or a normal condition. Is it a species survival trait? What is the percentage of its presence in the population? 25%? 50% 75%? So you can pretty much establish it is a species anti-sutvival trait and it occurs at low rates: a defect. Nor did I state that castration would change genetic trait and I fail to see how would believe otherwise. I stated that particular situation would negate any presumed harm his traits may pose and after the fact his treatment was unwarranted. Do not put words in my mouth to justify your agenda.
I love hearing Dennis refer to this as a genetic defect. It's obvious to me he has no scientific or medical training that qualifies him to make this sort of determination.
If you want to know more about Alan Turing, his life, and his work, I would highly recommend "The Code Book: How to Make It, Break It, Hack It, Crack It" by Simon Singh and "A Madman Dreams of Turing Machines" by Janna Levin.