Alan Mathison Turing

Alan Mathison Turing

Born: 23 June 1912 in London, EnglandDied: 7 June 1954 in Wilmslow, Cheshire, England

Inventor: Alan Mathison Turing Criteria: Modern prototype.First practical. Birth: June 23, 1912 in London, England Death: June 7, 1954 in Wilmslow, Cheshire, England Nationality: British

Alan Mathison Turing, British mathematician, who pioneered in computer theory.   He was born in London and educated at Cambridge and Princeton universities.   In 1936, while he was still a graduate student, Turing published a paper called "On Computable Numbers," which introduced the concept of a theoretical computing device now known as a Turing machine.  The concept of this machine, which could theoretically perform any mathematical calculation, was important in the development of the digital computer. Turing also extended his mathematical work to the study of artificial intelligence and biological forms.  He proposed a method called the Turing test, to determine whether machines could have the ability to think.  During World War II, Turing worked as a cryptographer for the British Foreign Office.   In 1951 Turing was named a Fellow of the Royal Society and in 1952 he began to publish his work on the mathematical aspects of pattern and form development in living organisms.  He apparently committed suicide in 1954 , probably in reaction to medical treatments he was forced to receive in order to "cure" him of homosexuality.