A fully functioning Turing machine, a representation of a computing device, is the latest Google’s doodle, which celebrates the birth of Alan Turing on 23 June, 1912.
Google on Saturday marked the celebrations of the 100th birth anniversary of computer scientist Alan Mathison Turing with an attractive doodle. Turing, who is also known as the founder of computer science, played a significant role in breaking the wartime Enigma- enciphered messages.
Alan Turing was born in London on 23 June, 1912 and from a very early age he showed deep interest toward science and mathematics. As he grew, Turing showed exceptional ability in solving advanced problems. His innovative mind conducted several test and also worked on the design of the Automatic Computing Engine (ACE). In 1946, he presented a paper which is known as the first elaborate design of a stored-program computer.
Turing, the father of computing and artificial intelligence, is best known for his contribution to cracking the German Enigma secret codes with the creation of early computers such as the bombe.
The cracking of the code allowed the Allies to track German military and naval units and destroy them.
Before the war started, Turing had already made an impact on the theory that would pave the way for the construction of the first computers. In 1938 he received his PhD from Princeton in the US.
After the war, Turing worked at the National Physical Laboratory and the University of Manchester.
Turing was also convicted of his homosexual actions as criminal act in the United Kingdom in 1952. After two years of conviction on 8 June, 1954 he was reported dead due to cyanide poisoning which was believed to be a suicide.
In 2009, after a campaign the then prime minister of the United Kingdom Gordon Brown issued an apology for Turing’s treatment on behalf of the British government.
In Manchester, ahead of his 100th birthday, to pay tribute to this codebreaking genius an award has been named after Alan Turing for people who makes significant contribution to help victims of homophobia. The award will be conferred as part of the Lesbian and Gay Foundation’s annual Homo Heroes Awards.
