Common questions about Alan Turing

Short answers, pulled from the story.

When was Alan Turing born and when did he die?

Alan Turing was born in 1912 and died on the 8th of June 1954 at his house at 43 Adlington Road in Wilmslow. A post mortem determined he died at age forty-one with cyanide poisoning cited as the cause of death.

What did Alan Turing publish in 1936?

In the spring of 1936, Alan Turing sent a thirty-six-page paper titled On Computable Numbers to the Proceedings of the London Mathematical Society. This paper introduced the concept of a universal computing machine and proved that the halting problem for Turing machines was undecidable.

How did Alan Turing contribute to World War II?

Alan Turing reported to Bletchley Park on the 4th of September 1939 to break the Enigma cipher used by Nazi Germany. He developed the bombe machine and his work shortened the war in Europe by more than two years according to official war historian Harry Hinsley.

What happened to Alan Turing after his 1952 conviction?

After his conviction for gross indecency on the 23rd of January 1952, Alan Turing was given a choice between imprisonment and chemical castration. He accepted injections of stilboestrol which rendered him impotent and caused breast tissue to form.

When did the British government apologize to Alan Turing?

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown released a statement on the 10th of September 2009 apologizing for the prosecution of Alan Turing. Queen Elizabeth II signed a pardon for Turing's conviction on the 24th of December 2013 with immediate effect.