Alan Turing's Death and Achievements
In 1945, after World War II ended, Turing was recruited to the National Physical Laboratory in London. His design for the Automatic Computing Engima was more advanced than anything ever done at Bletchley Park. Turing founded the field that is now called 'Artificial Intelligence'. In February 1947 he delivered the earliest known public lecture to mention computer science. He later came out with two more reports about artificial intelligence, 'Intelligent Machinery' and 'Computing Machinery and Intelligence'. Later in 1948, Turing took up the deputy directorship of the Computing Machine Laboratory. He spent the rest of his short life at Manchester University. Turing was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in London in March 1951 (a high honor) and in May 1952 was appointed to a specially created Readership in the Theory of Computing at Manchester.
It was at Manchester, in March 1952, that he was persecuted for homosexual activity, then a crime in Britain, and sentenced to a period of twelve month hormone 'therapy'. On Monday May 7, 1954, he took his own life. The post-mortem described cynaide in his body. Some, like his mother, would like to believe it was an accidental death from a previous experiment. Others believe it was suicide. This is still a controversial issue to this day.
It was at Manchester, in March 1952, that he was persecuted for homosexual activity, then a crime in Britain, and sentenced to a period of twelve month hormone 'therapy'. On Monday May 7, 1954, he took his own life. The post-mortem described cynaide in his body. Some, like his mother, would like to believe it was an accidental death from a previous experiment. Others believe it was suicide. This is still a controversial issue to this day.
Alan Turing did more for his country and for the future of science than almost anyone. He was dishonorably persecuted during his life; today let us wipe that national shame clean by honouring him properly" - Chris Smith, government minister, public announcement 1998
I was bitterly distressed, all his friends were, by his tragic death- also angry at the judicial system which helped lead to it." - Nick Furbank, a close friend of Alan, 1953