Remembering Alan Turing is a bittersweet affair.  Today, June 23rd, 2012, would be the man’s 100th birthday.  We remember him as the father of the modern computer and the creator of basic artificial intelligence, but we often forget the trials he went through that led to his suicide at age 41.

Alan was a code-breaker during WWII for the Allied Powers, and contributed a great deal to the war effort, despite the level of discrimination he faced from his own government for his homosexuality.

During this time, Turing created the “Bombe,” which was used to break the German Enigma Code.  It saved thousands of Allied lives, and helped to assure a positive outcome in the war effort.

The man also created the first AI after designing the Turing machine at Cambridge after listening to a lecture on logic.  Before Turing, the notion that machines could think and solve problems was nothing more than a chimerical notion.Continue Reading

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