Alan Turing (1912- )


Figure 1.--This is Alan Turing as a todler weaing a classic sailor suit. The pgotraph w pt=robably taken around 1915. Alan and his brother saw very little of their parents as boys. His father was an official in the Undian Civil Service.

Alan Turing is regarded s one of the 100 most important induviduals of the 20th centyry. He is best known as a pioneering computer scientist and cryotologist. He was an enormously creative individual. He was a mathematician, logician, philosopher, and mathematical biologist. In addition he was a top-level and marathon and ultra distance runner. He played an important role in the development of computer science, conceiving the concepts of "algorithm" and 'computation' with what is now known as the Turing machine--basically the first model of a general purpose computer.He is widly considered to be the father of theoretical computer science and artificial intelligence. In addition to his academic theoretical work, Turing played a criticl role in the Ultra effort--the World War II cracking of the German mikitary's Enigma machines. Turing worked for the Government Code and Cypher School (GCCS) at Bletchley Park, Britain's codebreaking establishment. He devised techniques for breaking German ciphers, including improvements to the Polish bombe method, an electromechanical machine that could detect Enigma settinhgs. Turing oversaw the all-imprtant Hut 8, the section responsible for German naval cryptanalysis. It was the German Naval Enigma that presented the mot difficult chllenge. Turing's pivotal role in cracking Enigma saved countless lives. Ultra shortened the war, saving countless lives. Cracking the Naval Enigma not only helpe dfeat the NAZIS, but made sure the Anglo-American armies could liberate Western Europe and restrict the Soviet Red Army to Eastern and Central Europe.

Family

Turing came from arosperous family with internatiomal and Empire conections. Alan's father, Julius Mathison Turing (1873–1947) worked in the Indian Civil Service (ICS) at Chhatrapur, Bihar and Orissa Province. He father Alan while on home leave. His father was a clergyman from a Scottish merchant family. They had worked in the Netherlands and included a baronet. Turing's mother was Ethel Sara (née Stoney; 1881–1976), daughter of Edward Waller Stoney, chief engineer of the Madras Railways. The Stoneys were a Protestant Anglo-Irish gentry originating in County Tipperary and County Longford. Ethel hasspent much of her childhood in County Clare. Julius brought the family to India. His grandfather had been a general in the Bengal Army. Mpth parents decided, however, that they wanted their children to be raised in England. so they established a home in Maida Vale, London.

Childhood

Alan Mathison Turing was born in Maida Vale, Paddington, London (1912). He had an elder brother, John. John would become the father of Sir John Dermot Turing, 12th Baronet of the Turing baronets. His father's civil service commission was still active at the tike Alan was born. The boys did not see much of their parents. His parents travelled back and forth between England and India. During their absence meaning most of the time, the boys stayed with a retired Army colonel and his wife at Hastings. He displayed a keen intelligence from an early point. Their father was in the Government of the Madras Presidency until 1926. His parents purchased a house in Guildford (1927). Turing and his brother would use it during school holidays.

Education

The Turings were a prosperous family, not Rich but they had means. His parents could aford to send him to private schools. They first enrolled him at St. Michael's, a day school in St Leonards-on-Sea when he was 6 years old (1918). The headmistress immediately recognised his academic abilities. Alan when he was 10 years old began at a preparatory boarding school in Sussex , Hazelhurst (1922). We do not know much about his expereinces there, but a Times photgrapher captured him and and friends at Waterloo Station (about 1925). From an early point he seems at time to have disappeared into a world of thought. A drawing shows hom watching daisies grow while he was susposed to be playing hockey which would not have endeared him to the games master. Turing next enrted the Sherborne School in Dorset at the age of 13 (1926) . It was a public (elite private boarding) school. The first day of term fell on the 1926 General Strike in Britain. That mean there was transport problems and Dorset is in the west of England. Alan was so determined to attend that he rode his bicycle unaccompanied more than 60 miles (97 km) from Southampton all the way to Sherborne. He stopped overnight at an inn. Despite his enthusiam, Sherborne was not aood fit for him. There were public schools that had modern programs including science. Sherborne andmany other traditional schools emphasized the classics and gave little or no impotance to science and Alan was paricularly interested in math and science. This caused problems because he neglectd some of the asignents that did not interest him. The headmaster wrote to his parents soon after he arrived, "I hope he will not fall between two stools. If he is to stay at public school, he must aim at becoming educated. If he is to be solely a Scientific Specialist, he is wasting his time at a public school". He was at the bottom of the class in many subjects. Latin and religion seem to have been his orst subjects. His teachers complined about his handwriting and sloppy work. Turing shined in the assignments that appealed to him, but did not impress his science teacher. His grsp of science was remarkable, especially given the fact that he was still a secondary school student. Only a year after arriving at Sherborne and without any knowledge of calculus, he began solving advanced problens (1927). Turing while still at Sherborn encountered Albert Einstein's work. Nit from his teachrs who would have understood it, but his grandfather gave him a copy of Einstein's semi-popular book on the theory of relativity (Christmas 1927). He not only immediately grasped it, but he deduced Einstein's questioning of Newton's laws of motion from a text in which this was not clearly explained. Alan's life suddenly changed (1928). He was allowed to enter the sixth form of Sherborne School and to at last specialise in mathematics and science. In the Science classes he met Christopher Morcom, whobsharedc his interest in math and science. Cristopher apparently was Turing's 'first love'. Their relationship ended after only a few years. Christopher died as a result complications from bovine tuberculosis contracted after drinking infected cow's milk (1930). The tragedy shattered Turing's religious faith and he became an atheist. Turing came to see all phenomena, including the workings of the mind, were mterialistic. Turing despite his chereked academic career won a scholarship to King's College, University of Cambridge (1931). We asume he won a competitive exam. Finally he could focus on science and math and his capbilities were fully recognized (1931-34). His disertation proving the central limit theorem, was so impressive that Turing was elected a fellow at the school upon graduation. One of his most impresive works was a paper, "On Computable Numbers, with an Application to the Entscheidungsproblem" (1936). He described the idea of a universal machine (later called the 'Universal Turing Machine' and later the 'Turing machine') that could compute anything which is computable. It is often said that the central idea of the computer which would remake modern society are based on Turing’s paper. This does not mean digital technology, but the basic idea of computing. Turing continued his studies in the United States. He studied mathematics and cryptology at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey where he received his Ph.D. (1938).

Government Code and Cypher School (1938)

Turing returned to Cambridge at a time it was becoming increasingly clear that there was going to be another war with Germany. The British Government turned to universities, especially Cambridge and Oxford for individuals with skills that could be useful in cracking German codes. They were especially interested in individuals with advanced matematical backgrounds. Turing of coure fit thge bill. He accepted a position at the Government Code and Cypher School (GCCS), the British code-breaking organization..

Bletchley Park and Ultra (1939-45)

Turing became was a leading figure in the British wartime code-breaking effort, concentrating on German ciphers. Ultra was a major effort with many componnt paets. Tyring was the oustnding figure in the theoretical concepts. And here the sentral target was the German Enigma Machine. This was the German military aparatus used to code and decode cyphers sent as electronic messages. Electronic messages were central to Blitzkrieg, commbd and cintrol ovr wudely dispersed cmiltaryforcs, especially highly mobile units. He worked at Bletchley Park where GCCS was relocted to just before the outbreak of the War. It ws more or less equal distant from Cambridge, Oxford, and London, an idea location. As part of his work on Enigma made important discoveries. He made major use of the basic Polish bombe, developing an electromechanical device used to help decipher German Enigma settings. Ultra decrypts assited the the Allies to defeat the Germans crucial battles, especially the Mediterrean nacal campaign and the North African campaign. Turing directed the work at the all important Hut 8 attacking the Naval Enigma. The Ultra decrupts proved vital in the Battle of the Atlantic. Some military historians estimate that Ultra shortened the war by two to four years. This is probably an over-statement, but it did shorten the war abd saved countless lives. And Ultra's rolein defeating the U-boats, ensured tht the Anglo-American armies were able to reenter tge Contunent. This both defeat the Grmans, but allowed the Anglo-Americn armies to prevent the Sovit Red rmy from over-running Western Europe. Turing also wrote two papers about mathematical approaches to code-breaking. ey were believed to b o imprtant that the GCCS (future Government Communications Headquarters) that they were kept classified until 2012.

Post-War Work (1946-52)

Turing after the War moved to London. He worked at the National Physical Laboratory. He lead the design team for the Automatic Computing Engine (ACE). They produced highly creative blueprint for thestore-program computers. Though a complete version of the ACE was never built, the concept was used as model by high-tech electronic corporations arojund the world for several years. ACE influenced the design of the English Electric DEUCE and the American Bendix G-15. These were the world's first personal computers. Turing next held important positions in the mathematics department and later the computing laboratory at the University of Manchester (late-1940s). It was here tht he first addressed the issue of artificial intelligence in another paper--'Computing machinery and intelligence' (1950). He conceived of an experiment now known as the 'Turing Test'. This was an attempt to create an intelligence design standard for the high-tech industry. The Turing Test would influence scientific debates over artificial intelligence.

Procecution for Homosexuality (1952-53)

Homosexuality was illegal in the United Kingdom and most other countries. Oscar Wilde most famously became caught up in the morality laws. Turing was another victim. Turing called the police about a burgalry at his home (January 1952). During the investifation he admitted to the poliemn that had had a sexual relationship with the the individual he suspectd. (This is one of many falsehoods depicted in the Holywood Film, 'The Immitation Game' (2014) which suggests that a dective later got it out of him and Turing tried to get out of the problem by brining up his war-time role--an outright lie.) The thief was 19-year-old Arnold Murray. The Police charged him with gross indecency. After his conviction, Turing was given the choice of a prison term or probation on the condition that he take hormonal treatment for libido reduction. This mean essentially chemical castration through injections of a synthetic estrogen hormone for a year. This rendered him impotent. The conviction resulted in the revokation of his security clearance. This barred from work with cryptography at the GCCS, now the GCHQ.

Death (1954)

Turing was found dead (1954). A postmortem found that the cause of death was cyanide poisoning. It is widely believed that he committed suiside. The remains of an apple smelling of cyanide were found next to Turing's body. No apple remains were found in his stomach. The autopsy escribe 'four ounces of fluid which smelled strongly of bitter almonds, as does a solution of cyanide'. There was also the trace smell of bitter almonds was also fond in hi vital organs. The autopsy thus found that the cause of death was asphyxia due to cyanide poisoning and ruled his death a suicide. Not everyone agred. His mother and friends insist that he was not pressed and getting on with new projects. Some believe that the deth may have been an accident. Turing kept cyanide in his house for chemical experiments he was conducting.

Recognition

The Ultra secret was not revealed until years after the War. The Bletchley Parl workers, including Turing, never talked about their work. Turing even upset his mother because he refused to talk about his work. Shortly after the War, he was secretly awarded an Order of the British Empire for his work--but he could not reval it until his 86th birthday. An official English Heritage blue plaque was unveiled at his childhood home [Hodges]. Time Magazine named Turing one of its "100 Most Important People of the 20th century. Time rxplauned, "The fact remains that everyone who taps at a keyboard, opening a spreadsheet or a word-processing program, is working on an incarnation of a Turing machine." Turing was also ranked 21st on the BBC nationwide poll of the "100 Greatest Britons" (2002). A bronze statue of Turing was unveiled at the University of Surrey, the 50th anniversary of his death (2004). A life-size statue of Turing was unveiled at Bletchley Park (2007). The Princeton University Alumni Weekly named Turing the second most significant alumnus in the history of the school. John Graham-Cumming, a programmer and author, launched apetition drive demanding an official apology. Prime Minister Gordon Brown released a statement on behalf of the British government, posthumously apologized to Turing for prosecuting him as a homosexual (2009). .

Sources

Hodges, Andrew.






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Created: 2:31 AM 1/22/2015
Last updated: 3:05 AM 1/22/2015