Alan Turing: Codebreaker and Computer Pioneer

B.J. Copeland and Diane Proudfoot recall the contribution to the war effort in 1939-45 of the British computer scientist.

Alan Turing in 1951

In 1936, mathematician Alan Turing dreamed up the principle of the modern computer – the idea of controlling its operations by means of a program of coded instructions stored in memory. Yet his idea was not turned into a reality for more than ten years – during which Turing made a vital contribution to the Allied victory in the Second World War.

To continue reading this article you will need to purchase access to the online archive.

Buy Online Access  Buy Print & Archive Subscription

If you have already purchased access, or are a print & archive subscriber, please ensure you are logged in.

Please email digital@historytoday.com if you have any problems.