Alan Turing 100 -- June 23, 2012

Mathematician and logician Alan Turing was born 100 years ago today in London.  He came up with many of the basic concepts of computer science and artificial intelligence.  His work as a codebreaker at Bletchley Park helped the right side win in World War II. He helped to develop devices that automated important steps of cracking the German Enigma cyphers.  These devices had many of the features of computers.  After the war, he collaborated on the design of an early electronic stored program computer.  He devised the Turing test, as a way to prove that an entity was intelligent.  Sadly, he fell afoul of laws against homosexuality and committed suicide after being treated shamefully.