STEM Innovator
Alan Turing by Sammy Ward
Young Years
Turing was born on June 23, 1912 in Paddington London. Even as a child Turing showed signs of the genius he turned out to be. Most of his teachers noticed this and even the head mistress at his first school could spot his talent. When Turing was young, his grandfather gave him a book on Einstein's theory of relativity which inspired Turing to get a good education.
Family
Turing's father was always at work with his wife, so Alan and his brother were fostered from family to family. His childhood was rather rough, yet he still attended school every way he could. He lived in many places around the London area.
Education
He showed inclination to science and math. He did not gain the respect from his teachers, because they felt education should be taught more of the classic way. the first college Turing attended was King's College, Cambridge. Later in his life, he studied at Princeton University where he earned his PhD. Turing was a mathematician.
Turing's Discoveries
Turing discovered the LU decomposition. This is a mathematic method used in algebra to solve a set of linear equations. Also, Turing discovered and created the Universal Turing machine; a machine where you input numbers and get the output. Without this discovery, there would be less of an understanding of mathematics and algebra.
World War 2
Turing might most famously known for his work on "cracking the code." Turing with the help of others developed the Bombe, a device for encrypting messages sent by the Nazis back and forth. This very well might have won the war for Allies. This was a major event in Turing's life and he took a big part in winning the war. His invention was a contribution to many.
Turing's Life Outside of Math
Turing never had kids or was ever married. However, Turing was convicted of indecency. Turing and Arnold Murray had lunch in January.On the 23rd, Turing's house was robbed. Murray's friend heard of Turing and Murray having lunch together and took Turing's things from his house. While the conviction of Murray's friend was happening, Turing admitted to a relationship with Murray and both of them were charged for gross indecency. This was a struggle, but luckily Turing had already created the LU decomposition and the universal Turing machine.
Turing's Death
June 8, 1954 Alan Turing was found dead, by his housekeeper, in his house next to an eaten apple. Later an autopsy was performed to find a fatal dose of cyanide in his body. The actual death happened on the 7th. This was considered a suicide.
Awards
Awarded the OBE award after World War 2 ended. Also there is an annual award to a person who had technical contributions to the commuting community.