While attending a noted independent school in Dorset, sixteen-year-old Turing fell in love with an older male schoolmate, Christopher Morcom, who died unexpectedly of bovine tuberculosis at the age of nineteen. Socially inept, Turing exhibited symptoms of autism, and Morcom had brought him out of his shell. Grief stricken following Morcom's death, Turing spent the next few years studying the question of how the human mind might survive death – Morcom's mind in particular. This research led to the study of quantum-mechanical theory and ultimately to the concept of thinking machines. He went on to study at Cambridge but moved to the U.S., where he earned a doctorate at Princeton (1938). He later became a specialist in the field of cryptanalysis.
For his work for the British government at the top-secret Bletchley Park facility (museum display with Turing's photo shown at right) during WW II, Turing was awarded the Order of the British Empire in 1946. Shortly thereafter he became a professor at Cambridge University, where he fell in love with Neville Johnson, a student. Turing was surprisingly open about his sexual orientation, given the mores of the time. In 1952 a young man from Manchester attempted to blackmail Turing for his homosexuality, leading Turing to go to the police to report the attempt at extortion. Instead of deciding to prosecute the extortionist, they arrested Turing on twelve counts of gross indecency. Turing would not deny the charges, taking the stance that he had done nothing wrong. The court disagreed, and Turing's security clearances were withdrawn, putting an end to his brilliant work. To avoid a prison term, Turing agreed to be subjected to experimental hormone treatments designed to curb his homosexual desires. Massive doses of estrogen caused him to grow breasts and become chemically depressed. His life thus ruined, he committed suicide in 1954, by ingesting a cyanide injected apple two weeks before his 42nd birthday. Not until 2009 did the British government issue a formal apology for the way Turing was treated after WW II.
The year 2012 was a centennial celebration of Turing’s life and scientific impact, with a number of major events taking place throughout the year. Most of those were linked to places with special significance in Turing’s life, such as Cambridge, Manchester and Bletchley Park. In 2013, the following year, Queen Elizabeth II issued a posthumous Royal Pardon for Turing. Historians estimate that breaking the Enigma Code shortened the war by more than two years and saved approximately 14 million lives.
In 2014 actor Benedict Cumberbatch portrayed Turing in the film "The Imitation Game", based on Turing's brilliance and heroism in cracking the Enigma Code. Cumberbatch received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor for his performance. The film is available on several streaming services.
Trivia: A blue plaque outside the 4-star luxury Colonnade Hotel in London indicates where Turing was born one hundred years ago, on June 23, 1912, when the hotel served as a hospital.
