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Alan Turing: his achievements and government persecution of a mathematical genius

Credit: geralt / Pixabay / National Geographic / Alessandro Nassiri / Wikimedia commons. – Edition: Erick Nielssen.

Alan Turing, during World War II, managed to decipher encoded communications from the Nazis, especially the codes of the German Enigma machine.

Alan Turing is called the «Father of computing», a British scientist who devised key concepts for the creation of the modern computer. His work in World War II allowed the interpretation of the secret messages of the Nazis, decoding the German Enigma machine. He was a hacker of the twentieth century.

Unfortunately, he was persecuted by his own government, He was “chemically neutered” and died intoxicated in strange circumstances. It is thought that he was murdered for “knowing a lot.”

Mathematical genius

Alan Turing: Achievements and government persecution of a mathematical genius

Alan Turing Courtesy: ABC

Turing was born in London in 1912. He was a mathematician, cryptographer and scientist of the computing. He also worked in cybernetics and artificial intelligence.

From a young age he was interested in science, even in novel and complex concepts such as Einstein’s quantum physics and relativity. At King’s College at the University of Cambridge, Turing specialized in Mathematical logic.

Turing machine

Alan Turing: Achievements and government persecution of a mathematical genius

Modern and experimental Turing machine. Courtesy: Machine de Turing (machinedeturing.org).

This machine invented by this mathematician remains a crucial object of study in modern computing, it is perhaps considered the first theoretical model for the computer.

The most impressive thing is that Alan Turing proved that this device was able to solve any mathematical problem with the help of an algorithm or program (a set of instructions for an operation). He imagined a universal Turing machine that could perform all kinds of programs, just like today’s computers.

Decoding messages from the Nazis in World War II

Alan Turing: Achievements and government persecution of a mathematical genius

Enigma machine Credit: Alessandro Nassiri / Wikimedia commons.

From the declaration of war of Great Britain against Nazi Germany, in 1939, Alan Turing was summoned by the British Decryption Service, which was dedicated to decipher messages from the Germans, encrypted in morse code.

The Nazis used the machine Enigma, considered as unbreakable. However, Turing managed to decipher the Enigma system (“hacking it”) and the decoding of the secret messages of the Nazis began already in 1941.

Computer design

Alan Turing: Achievements and government persecution of a mathematical genius

Ferranti Mark I. Courtesy: Ferut (ferut.ca).

Later, Turing was hired by the National Physics Laboratory in London, to set out and create an electronic computer, the so-called Automatic Computing Engine, capable of performing functions such as algebraic calculations, decrypt codes, edit files and play chess.

Although its Automatic Computing Engine was only partially built, his design pioneered the computing. It is thought that his MCA should have been the first functional computer in history.

Turing later worked on computer projects for the University of Manchester. Its programming system appeared in the Ferranti Mark I, of 1951, the first commercially available electronic computer in history.

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Persecution and mysterious death

Alan Turing: Achievements and government persecution of a mathematical genius

Movie Image The Enigma Code (The Imitation Game) about Alan Turing. Credit: The Weinstein Company.

Unfortunately, despite his great achievements, Alan Turing was brought to trial in 1951 and was convicted of his homosexuality, at a time when Britain still forbade it.

The most tragic thing was that his sentence consisted of a «Chemical castration», with the use of estrogen injections that they physically altered. This was too cruel and barbaric.

In 1954 he was found dead, intoxicated by a cyanide poisoned apple. It was an apparent suicide, but the strange thing was that he enjoyed good mental health.

Alan Turing: Achievements and government persecution of a mathematical genius

Alan Turing Courtesy: nj.com

It has been speculated that he may have been murdered by the British secret services, due to all his knowledge of the secret messages of the Nazis and British communications during the war.

In addition, they could also have killed him due to his knowledge for cryptanalysis, which could be used by enemies of the British (such as Soviet Union).

As we see, Alan Turing was an important computer scientist and even a national hero of Great Britain. The fatal thing was his persecution and conviction executed by the British judicial system and then his death seems too suspicious. It is an indication that governments can end up eliminating people who are even valuable to them.

References: Live science / Britannica.

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