House Turing

Alan Turing OBE (1912-1954) was a mathematician, computer scientist and cryptanalyst who was one of the men responsible for cracking the seemingly ‘uncrackable’ Nazi Enigma Code, which in turn saved hundreds of thousands of lives during the Second World War. The German Enigma Code was written in such a way that allowed the German military to swindle the allies, stopping them from intercepting and preventing certain bombings and raids that the Germans were planning. The cracking of this machine put an end to British trailing in the war and hence helped prevent countless deaths in numerous battles including the Battle of the Atlantic. It was indeed Turing and his team who innovated the form of decrypting codes, and if it was not for them pushing the boundaries of computer science and innovating the Automatic Computer Engine (ACE), Britain and therefore the rest of the world would be a very different place to what it is today. In other words, Turing’s innovation saved the world, which inspired many inventors and cryptanalysts to push the boundaries of what they perceive possible; the fact that Maths and Science helped in saving democracy. In 1952, Turing was persecuted for homosexual acts, which lost him his job. He also had to undergo drug tests and was prescribed a drug to ‘fix’ him. Turing broke the boundaries of science, maths, computing and invention, all whilst undergoing terrible things and procedures. Every student at Appleton could learn from this; no matter who you are or who society perceives you as, you should never stop striving to reach your maximum potential. The Turing Award is given out every year (computing equivalent to the Nobel Prize) which recognises outstanding breakthroughs and achievements. The House of Turing would be a respectable and honourable house to be a part of; you should always push the boundaries of what you thought possible. Do this, and you shall always succeed.

Forms: 703, 707, 710, 803, 807