Alan Turing is the father of computer science. He is largely responsible for development of the Turing-Welchman bombe, which effectively cracked Enigma-encoded messages during WWII. He created a formal definition of the algorithm and created the Turing machine. Without him, we may not have computers as we know them to be today.
In 1952, Turing was arrested in the UK for being gay. Instead of serving prison time, he chose the alternative– chemical castration through estrogen therapy. He lost all of his security clearance and could no longer work on his life career of cryptology as a result.
Turing’s favorite children’s tale was Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. In 1954, he was discovered dead in his bedroom. He had committed suicide by eating an apple soaked in cyanide. A memorial for Turing depicts him holding an apple- a symbol for forbidden love. In 2011, a petition was made asking the British Government to pardon Turing’s conviction of gross-indecency. It was rejected by Lord MacNally, who summarily stated Turing knew his actions would result in a criminal offense and therefore should have been prosecuted.
Mr. Turing, I’m sorry. The world can be a cruel place. You are respected and won’t be forgotten. The same can’t be said of many.