Alan Turing and the Poisoned Apple

Alan Turing, code-breaker castrated for homosexuality, receives royal pardon

Alan Turing, a British code-breaker during World War II who was later subjected to chemical castration for homosexual activity, has received a royal pardon nearly 60 years after he committed suicide.

Turing was best known for developing the Bombe, a code-breaking machine that deciphered messages encoded by German machines. His work is considered by many to have saved thousands of lives and helped change the course of the war.

“Dr. Turing deserves to be remembered and recognized for his fantastic contribution to the war effort and his legacy to science,” British Justice Secretary Chris Grayling said in a statement Tuesday. “A pardon from the Queen is a fitting tribute to an exceptional man.”

Turing’s castration in 1952 – after he was convicted of homosexual activity, which was illegal at the time – is “a sentence we would now consider unjust and discriminatory and which has now been repealed,” Grayling said.

Two years after the castration, which Turing chose to avoid a custodial sentence, he ended his life at the age of 41 by eating an apple laced with cyanide.

Supporters have long campaigned for Turing to receive greater recognition for his work and official acknowledgment that his punishment was wrong.

An online petition in 2009 that drew tens of thousands of signatures succeeded in getting an apology from then-Prime Minister Gordon Brown for Turing’s treatment by the justice system in the 1950s. Brown described the Turing sentence as “appalling.”

The German messages that Turing cracked at the British government’s code-breaking headquarters in Bletchley Park provided the Allies with crucial information. The German messages were encoded by Enigma machines, which Adolf Hitler’s military believed made its communications impenetrable.

Turing was considered a mathematical genius.

In 1937 he published a paper introducing an idea that came to be known as the Turing machine, which is considered to have formed the basis of modern computing. This was a hypothetical device that could come up with a solution to any problem that is computable.

“Alan Turing was a remarkable man who played a key role in saving this country in World War II by cracking the German enigma code,” British Prime Minister David Cameron said. “His action saved countless lives. He also left a remarkable national legacy through his substantial scientific achievements, often being referred to as the ‘father of modern computing.’”

The prestigious A.M. Turing Award – sometimes called the “Nobel Prize” of Computing – was named after Turing.

The pardon, under the Royal Prerogative of Mercy, comes into effect Tuesday, the British Ministry of Justice said.
 
 
Vocabulary:
 
a pardon -
 
to deserve -
 
a statement -
 
a fitting tribute -
 
to repeal (a law) -
 
to lace -
 
cyanide -
 
a supporter -
 
acknowledgement -
 
to draw (signatures) -
 
appalling (adj) -
 
headquarters -
 
to come up with (a solution) -
 
countless (adj) -
 
remarkable (adj) -
 

This was a story that I didn't pay much attention to over the Christmas holidays.
 
José and Lucía reminded me about it in class today. Lucía told us that the logo for Apple is related to the life of Alan Turing.
  
 
Read Queen gives royal pardon to Alan Turing. (Source: Daily Mail)
 
José surprised us all with his knowledge of the Higgs boson particle. (Source: BBC News)
 
 

Comments

Anonymous said…
Hi Graham,

Very sad... and interesting too

See you,

Hilde
Graham said…
Hi Hilde,

I agree. It's both sad and interesting.
Roberto said…
I´ve never heard of him before, he was a genius!. Too late to the royal pardon...
Graham said…
(It's) too late for a royal pardon / to give him a royal pardon.

There's been a film made about him. It might be interesting to see it.
Montse said…
Hi, Graham.
It is really a sad story. I will never understand how cruel the human beings can become in order to impose what they believe is right.
I would love that this point was truly related with the Apple’s logo but, in any case, it is a beautiful story.


a pardon – indulto (in this case)

to deserve - merecer

a statement – una declaración

a fitting tribute – un adecuado (justo) homenaje

to repeal (a law) - revocar

to lace – envenenar

cyanide - cianuro

a supporter – un seguidor, un partidario

acknowledgement – reconocimiento

to draw (signatures) - obtener

appalling (adj) - horible

headquarters – central

to come up with (a solution) – elaborar, conseguir, inventor

countless (adj) –incontable, innumerable

remarkable (adj) – extraordinario, notable
Graham said…
Hi Montse,

There is a film out soon which tells the story of Turning's life. It's called The Imitation Game. It might be worth seeing.



I will never understand how cruel human beings can become in order to impose what they believe is right.

I would love this story to be connected in some way to the logo of Apple but, in any case, it is a beautiful story.


Looking down your list of translations, they all seem fine.

Maybe with "come up with" = think of (a plan, an idea) I'd translate it as "ocurrírsele algo de alguien" or with solution = find - dar con la solución.


luciti said…

Hi Graham!

I have read the article of bbc about Turin and I am locking up the words... After I have seen Monte's commentary.. ¿?


Vocabulary:

a pardon - Perdon institucional.

to deserve - Merecer (deserve + to)

a statement – Declaración, Comparecencia.

a fitting tribute - Un tribute digno.

to repeal (a law) - Derogar

to lace – Impregnada, empapada ¿? (to add alcohol or drugs to food or drink, often secretly)

cyanide – Cianurao
a supporter - Seguidor

acknowledgement - Reconocimiento

to draw (signatures) -

appalling (adj) – Horrible, Espantoso

headquarters – Cuartel General, Oficina Central.

a paper --- Artículo, Ponencia…. (creo que es interesante)

to be considered to have saved/formed -- Es considerado por haber salvado/creado

to come up with (a solution) - Dar con una solución.

countless (adj) - Incontables

remarkable (adj) – Extraordinario, Destacado, Importante.


i hope to see the film..

I have read This article too:
"Read Unraveling the tale behind the Apple logo" It's interesting.

Now I will listen to the video.


Bye.
Graham said…
Hi Lucía,

When it comes out in Spanish cinemas, all the MOJ group can go to see it together.

You have some different translations from Montse but there is more than one way to say the same thing.

As well as translating straight into Spanish; the meaning is sometimes clearer if you look up the English definition.

I recommend using Cambridge (it gives English definitions and Spanish translations).

José said…
There is a physics theory, called Standard Model, witch explains how everything is done. According to this theory the physical matter is made of elementary particles as an electron, a proton and a neutron. It was necessary to find a particle by planets, starts and galaxies get mass. Peter Higgs (I´m sorry Graham he´s English) said that there is a particle by that everything gets mass, witch called Higgs boson. It´s like a invisible field witch is in the whole Universe by that all particles that across by it get mass. The Standard Model will be unstable without Higgs boson. This is the reason for the scientists are looking for it without stop.

Hi Graham, this is my hobby. I don´t agree neither Standard Model nor another Higgs boson. José.
Graham said…
José,

With all due respect, I don't think you are the best person to explain in simple terms what Higgs Boson. :-))))

But I'm impressed that you seem to know so much. I think your talents are wasted in MOJ. You should be a scientist, who discovers all sorts of amazing things that have nothing to do with real life. LOL


There is a physics theory, called Standard Model, which explains how everything is done. According to this theory physical matter is made up of elementary particles such as electrons, protons and neutrons. It was necessary to find a particle so that planets, stars and galaxies get mass. Peter Higgs (I´m sorry Graham he´s English) said that there is a particle from which everything gets mass, which is called Higgs boson. It´s like an invisible field which is in the whole Universe, from which all particles that cross through it, get mass. The Standard Model would be unstable without Higgs boson. This is the reason for the scientists are endlessly looking for it.

Hi Graham, this is my hobby. I don´t agree with neither Standard Model nor another Higgs boson.


I hope I've correct the above to your satisfaction. I did my best.


See you in the morning.
luciti said…
Hi Graham!

I agree with you, we'll go to see film together ( MOJ group (LOL))

Thanks for your comments.

Normaly I look up word in Cambridge dictionary.

Bye
Graham said…
Ooops!

I've just spotted a typo in my reply to José. I should have said -


With all due respect, I don't think you are the best person to explain in simple terms what Higgs Boson is

:$

Graham said…
Lucía,

You suggest it to them.

The Turin film or any other.
Montse said…
Count on me!!! An English movies evening...I feel like it.!!!
laura di said…
Hi, Graham i think that Alan Turing had a brilliant mind but his story is very sad .
Graham said…
Hi Laura,

I agree. It's a fascinating but sad story.