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Birth
Alan Mathison Turing was born in Maida Vale, London while his father was on leave from his position with the Indian Civil Service. -
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Early Life
Alan's life before being enrolled in any schools. -
St. Michael's
Turing's parents enrolled him at St Michael's, a day school at 20 Charles Road, St Leonards-on-Sea, at the age of six. The headmistress recognized his talent early on, as did many of his subsequent teachers. -
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Elementary/Prepatory School
The first 8 years of Alan's beginning education. -
Hazelhurst Preparatory School
At the age of 10, Alan attends Hazelhurst Preparatory School, an independent school in the village of Frant in Sussex, where he learns how to play chess. -
Sherborne School
In 1926, at the age of 13, he went on to Sherborne School, a boarding independent school in the market town of Sherborne in Dorset. Alan is not interested in their traditional classical education as he really wants to spend his time doing Science and Mathematics -
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Boarding School
The remainder of Turing's education before becoming an undergraduate at college -
Interest in Albert Einstein
Alan becomes deeply interested in the work of Albert Einstein and is able to develop work done by Einstein based on a questioning of Newton's Laws of Motion. -
Alan meets Christopher Morcom
Alan enters 6th form at Sherborne and becomes great friends with Christopher Morcom, another talented boy who loves Maths and Science. -
Death of Christopher Morcom
While they are applying for university, Christopher suddenly dies. Alan is devastated. -
King's College
Alan becomes an undergraduate at King's College, Cambridge to study Mathematics. He enjoys university and is highly successful. He graduates with distinction. -
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University Education
The next 7 years of Alan's higher education. -
Fellow of King's College Election
Alan's work is so distinguished that he is elected Fellow of King's College, aged only 23. -
Alan goes to Princeton
Alan goes to Princeton University in America to study mathematics and is awarded a PhD. -
Alan joins Bletchley Park
September - Alan is asked to join the Government Codes and Ciphers School and arrives at Bletchley Park the day after war is declared. -
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Wartime Service
Alan works as a top level intelligence link during WW2. -
Alan develops the Bombe
With Gordon Welchman, Alan develops the Bombe, a device for decrypting the messages sent by the Germans using their Enigma machine. -
Alan breaks German Naval Enigma System
Alan and his colleagues also manage to break the more complicated German Naval Enigma system. This is a tremendous help to the Allies in the Battle of the Atlantic. -
Alan works for the US as a top level intelligence link
Alan is asked to work as a top level intelligence link with USA, which he visits to share information on cryptology (code-breaking). -
Alan recieves wartime recognition
At the end of the war, Alan Turing is awarded the OBE for his wartime services. -
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Post War
The events in Alan's life after the war -
Alan joins the National Physical Laboratory
Alan joins the National Physical Laboratory, in Teddington and he publishes a paper with the first detailed design of a stored-program computer. -
Alan is appointed as as Reader in the Mathematics Department of Manchester University.
Alan is appointed as as Reader in the Mathematics Department of Manchester University. -
Alan is made deputy director of the Computing Laboratory at Manchester University.
Alan is made deputy director of the Computing Laboratory at Manchester University. -
Alan publishes 'Computing Machinery and Intelligence
Alan publishes 'Computing Machinery and Intelligence' in which he develops the Turing Test, an attempt to define a standard for a machine to be called intelligent. The paper will become very famous. -
Alan is elected Fellow of the Royal Society FRS
During his year, Alan is elected Fellow of the Royal Society FRS and also gives a talk about Artificial Intelligence on the BBC radio's Third Programme. -
Alan is arrested for gross indecency
Alan is arrested for gross indecency and loses his security clearance. He is offered chemical treatment as an alternative to imprisonment. The hormone treatment has a very detrimental effect on him. -
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Post death
The recognition/events related to Alan after his passing -
Death
Alan's body is found in his home in Wilmslow, Cheshire on the 8th of June. The post-mortem finds that his death had been caused by poisoning. A half-eaten apple is found next to him laced with cyanide. His body is cremated at Woking crematorium. -
The Turing Award is established
The annual Turing Award is established and given each year to a person for technical contributions to the computing community. It is generally viewed as important as the Nobel Prize. -
Prime Minister administers public apology
In response to a petition signed by thousands of people, The Prime Minister, Gordon Brown issues a public apology in which he describes the treatment of Alan Turing as "appalling".
