Alan Mathison Turing
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Alan Turing developed the Bombe, a machine that helped break German Enigma codes during World War II. He was later prosecuted for homosexuality and chose chemical castration over jail. He died from cyanide poisoning in 1954 at age 41. His legacy includes induction into the Cryptologic Hall of Honor in 2014.
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Alan Turing by the numbers — life, work, and family.
Alan Turing — early life, career, personal life, and legacy.
June 23, 1912: Alan Mathison Turing was born in Maida Vale, London, to Ethel Sara Stoney and Julius Mathison Turing. He attended Hazlehurst Community Primary School and Sherborne School. His studies at King’s College, Cambridge, and Princeton University prepared him for a career in mathematics and code-breaking.
His only known film credit is Turochamp 1948, a documentary about his chess-playing program. His main career achievement was his work at Bletchley Park during World War II, where he developed the Bombe to crack Enigma codes. The extent of his contributions is debated, but his work in computing and cryptography is foundational.
In 1952, Turing’s homosexuality became public, leading to a choice of prison or chemical castration; he chose chemical castration. He never married and had no known children. His nephew Dermot Turing later wrote about his life, including the book Reflections of Alan Turing.
In 2014, Turing was posthumously inducted into the Cryptologic Hall of Honor. Historian Jack Copeland credits him with shortening World War II by 2–4 years and saving 14–21 million lives, a claim that is debated. His legacy rests on breaking the Enigma code and advancing computing.
Browse the complete filmography of Alan Turing — every film, TV show, and documentary credit, ranked by popularity.
Every award, honor, and recognition received by Alan Turing — Grammys, hall-of-fame inductions, civic honors, lifetime achievements.
Alan Turing's bibliography — every authored, edited, and co-written book, ranked by edition count.
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A wall of memorable lines from Alan Turing — lyrics, interviews, and off-the-cuff remarks captured over a lifetime.
Machines Take Me by Surprise with Great Frequency.
We Are Not Interested in the Fact That the Brain Has the Consistency of Cold Porridge.
Mathematical Reasoning May Be Regarded Rather Schematically as the Exercise of a Combination of Two Facilities, Which We May Call Intuition and Ingenuity.
We Can Only See a Short Distance Ahead, but We Can See Plenty There That Needs to Be Done.
Science Is a Differential Equation. Religion Is a Boundary Condition.
No, I’m Not Interested in Developing a Powerful Brain. All I’m After Is Just a Mediocre Brain, Something Like the President of the American Telephone and Telegraph Company.
I Believe That at the End of the Century the Use of Words and General Educated Opinion Will Have Altered so Much That One Will Be Able to Speak of Machines Thinking Without Expecting to Be Contradicted.
A Computer Would Deserve to Be Called Intelligent If It Could Deceive a Human into Believing That It Was Human.
Sometimes It Is the People No One Can Imagine Anything of Who Do the Things No One Can Imagine.
Do You Know Why People Like Violence? It Is Because It Feels Good. Humans Find Violence Deeply Satisfying. but Remove the Satisfaction, and the Act Becomes Hollow.
One Day Ladies Will Take Their Computers for Walks in the Park and Tell Each Other, My Little Computer Said Such a Funny Thing This Morning.
Little-known facts about Alan Turing — origins, oddities, and behind-the-scenes details from a public life.
Facing prosecution for homosexuality, Alan Turing chose chemical castration over imprisonment.
He was posthumously inducted into the Cryptologic Hall of Honor in 2014.
Jack Copeland, a professor of philosophy, credited Turing with shortening the war in Europe by 2-4 years and saving 14-21 million lives, though this overlooks other factors.
Turing’s nephew Dermot, author of Reflections of Alan Turing, said there was mythologizing about his uncle’s role at Bletchley, noting Polish code-breakers provided the basis for cracking the German machine.
He was the uncle of Dermot Turing.
In 2020, an official history of UK spy agency GCHQ said Bletchley Park’s contribution to WWII is often overrated by the British public.
Winston Churchill refused to intervene to help spare Turing from prosecution in 1954, and that same year opposed decriminalizing homosexuality in England and Wales.
People often mistakenly credit Turing with the achievements of Tommy Flowers and Polish code-breakers.
In 2021, his nephew said Turing’s contribution to the Allied victory has been greatly overstated.
In the film The Imitation Game, Turing is shown single-handedly inventing and building the British Bombe, which his nephew said was untrue; a predecessor was invented by Polish crypt-analysts.
He was the inspiration for the character of Dr. Judson in The Curse of Fenric: Part One 1989.
Turing had already left Bletchley Park in 1939 before World War II began.
Quick answers to the questions readers ask most about Alan Turing.
Celebrities similar to Alan Turing — same craft, ranked by reach.
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