Alan Turing

Father of theoretical computer science, known for the Turing machine and codebreaking.

Chronology: 1912-06-23 – 1954-06-07

Origins & Early Life

Alan Mathison Turing (; 23 June 1912 – 7 June 1954) was an English mathematician and logician widely regarded as the father of theoretical computer science. He formalised the concepts of algorithm and computation with the Turing machine, a model of a general-purpose computer, and his contributions to cryptanalysis helped the Allies of World War II deciper messages encrypted by the German Enigma machine. He also contributed the Turing test to philosophy of artificial intelligence and the Turing pattern concept to mathematical and theoretical biology. Born in London and raised in southern England, Turing graduated from King's College, Cambridge, and earned a doctorate from Princeton University in 1938.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

During World War II, he worked at the Government Code and Cypher School at Bletchley Park, Britain's codebreaking centre, and focused on decrypting German naval messages as the head of Hut 8. His techniques improved on the pre-war Polish bomba method and hastened cryptanalysis of the Enigma ciphering system. The resulting intelligence, known as Ultra, proved helpful in the Battle of the Atlantic. After the war, Turing joined the National Physical Laboratory, where he designed the Automatic...

Enduring Legacy & Impact

The historical impact and works continue to influence the modern world.

Source: Wikipedia