Alan Turing, born 1912, was the father of computer science and artificial intelligence. During the Second World War he worked for the government in Bletchley Park, the UK’s codebreaking centre. His invaluable contribution and that of his colleagues is thought to have shortened the war in Europe by up to four years.
In 1952 Turing was prosecuted for homosexual acts. To avoid prison, his punishment was chemical castration through oestrogen injections. In 2013 Queen Elizabeth II granted him a posthumous pardon.
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