Alan Turing, WWII Cryptanalyst and Computer Pioneer, on New £50 Note
The new 50 pound banknote honors Alan Turing. Breaker of Nazi encryption, a father of computing and AI pioneer, he’s immortalized on the latest plastic frogskin for England, Wales and Northern Ireland (Scotland issues its own fiat currency).
Some say it’s also an apology by the British establishment for Turing’s brutal punishment for “gross indecency” in 1952. Although the anti-gay law was repealed in 1967, he wasn’t formally pardoned until 2013.
He was crucial to the “Ultra” work at Bletchley Park—widely credited as shortening the war by literally years and saving the lives of millions. In today’s SB Blogwatch, we look forward to spending it.
Your humble blogwatcher curated these bloggy bits for your entertainment. Not to mention: Bletchley precis.
FAQ: About $69
What’s the craic? Pan Pylas puts it out there—“WWII codebreaker Turing honored on UK’s new 50-pound note”:
The design of the bank note was unveiled before it is being formally issued to the public on June 23, Turing’s birthday. The 50-pound note is the most valuable denomination in circulation but is little used during everyday transaction.
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The new note, which is laden with high-level security features and is made of longer-lasting polymer, completes the bank’s rejig of its paper currencies. … Turing was selected as the new face of the 50-pound note in 2019 following a public nomination process that garnered around 250,000 votes, partly in recognition of the discrimination that he faced as a gay man after the war.
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[But] Turing is most famous for the pivotal role he played in breaking Nazi Germany’s Enigma code during World War II. … During World War II, Turing worked at the secret Bletchley Park code-breaking center, where he helped crack Enigma by creating the “Turing bombe.”
And James Vincent adds—“The UK’s new £50 note celebrates Alan Turing with lots of geeky Easter eggs”:
Turing was selected to appear on the note … in recognition of his groundbreaking work in mathematics and computer science, as well as his role in cracking the Enigma code … in World War II. … [It] incorporates a number of designs linked to Turing’s life and legacy. These include technical drawings for the bombe, a decryption device used during WWII; a string of ticker tape with Turing’s birthday rendered in binary … a green and gold security foil resembling a microchip; and a table and mathematical formulae taken from one of Turing’s most famous papers.
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Turing was openly gay among friends, but in 1952 was arrested and charged … for homosexual acts, which were illegal in England and Wales until 1967. … Turing and tens of thousands of other men convicted of the same offenses were posthumously pardoned [between 2013 and] 2017.
Turing did not deny the charges and was convicted and sentenced to chemical castration. … He died two years later at the age of 41. … Historians still disagree over whether this was suicide or a case of accidental poisoning.
It’s not often we quote Aunty Beeb’s finance correspondents. Kevin Peachey’s keen—“£50 note design is revealed”:
The work of Alan Turing … helped accelerate Allied efforts to read German Naval messages enciphered with the Enigma machine. … Less celebrated is the pivotal role he played in the development of early computers, first at the National Physical Laboratory and later at the University of Manchester.
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The Bank is flying the rainbow flag above its Threadneedle Street building in London. … However, campaigners are still questioning how much the Bank’s collection of banknotes represents society. Three feature men – Winston Churchill on the £5 note, JMW Turner on the £20. … Steam engine pioneers James Watt and Matthew Boulton appear on the current £50 note, issued in 2011. … Only the £10 note, with the portrait of Jane Austen, depicts a woman—apart from the Queen—and all are white.
Not just encryption, but also Universal Turing Machines, the Turing Test, and so on. A mighty brain, says MightyMartian:
In computer science circles he’s up there with Babbage as basically the two fathers of modern digital computing. But while Babbage’s [Analytical] Engine was an unrealized curiosity (due to the limits of machining capabilities in the 19th century), Turing’s contributions to modern computing are direct and discernible. [And] he’s as responsible for beating Germany as just about any one [person] can be said to be.
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[But] his genius and contributions were insufficient for the British courts to do anything but treat him in a horrifying and undignified manner. … They treated one of their heroes, and one of the great minds of the 20th century, like some depraved monster.
And now we’ve seen the error of our ways. The irony is not lost on gammalost:
It’s a way to let the UK honor historic people. But don’t pretend like it’s some big feat or victory for oppressed people. Pardoning and putting a him on a note doesn’t undo that.
Hmmm. Today, I will quote hmtodayiwill:
Don’t worry if you get horrifically abused and exploited … they might make it up to you 70 years later by making you an accessory to capital.
But back then, nobody knew who he really was. Or so argues hoofie:
Turing’s work was so secret that … he was just an academic—as far as the public and press were concerned. Very few people would have known of his contribution and wouldn’t dared have spoken publicly about it.
Many of the workers at Bletchley Park went to their graves and never talked. [It] only became public knowledge in the late 70s and early 80s. The Government classified it as very high security material because the work done in WW2 continued against the Soviet Union and other countries.
Of course, Turing was but one of the super-brains at Bletchley. And then there was the early Polish contribution, as eigenket reminds us:
[The press] ignored completely the massive contribution made by the Polish Cipher Bureau and particularly Marian Rejewski. In 1939, the Poles basically dumped an absolutely massive amount of information they had worked out about Enigma on the British.
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The Poles had a working system to decrypt Enigma from (I think) 1932 up to 1939 when the Germans added more rotors to the machines increasing the complexity significantly. The Polish techniques still worked with the new rotors but the additional complexity slowed them down a lot.
Numismatists of the world, start your engines. Natalie Gritpants Jr asks the ob. question:
Any idea where I get one of these? Do I actually have to go outside and visit a bank?
Who’s on the other side of the note? Kneel before Zod^W^Wbeforeolives: [You’re fired—Ed.]
When Turing was convicted in 1952 the reigning monarch was Elizabeth II, just like now. That’s a long time.
Meanwhile, @ThisGuyRussell baits the antivax nutters:
Remember when people linked Margate Lighthouse to 5G and coronavirus on a £20? Can’t wait to see what they’ll come up with when they see a microchip.
And Finally:
A nice, short summary of Turing’s achievements in encryption science
… and a much longer one …
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Image sauce: The Governor and Company of The Bank of England (©2020; fair-use/fair-dealing rights exercised)
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