Computing
Alan Turing
A way to think about what a machine can compute.
The problem
A question worth answering.
The limits and possibilities of mechanical calculation were poorly understood.
What they did
Turing’s theoretical model helped define computation. He also contributed to wartime codebreaking with many colleagues.
What changed
His ideas remain foundational to computer science. His life reminds us society can fail people whose insight it later celebrates.
Where you meet their legacy
In the knowledge, systems and people who carry the work forward today.
Evidence and further reading
This story does not assign sole credit for a collective achievement.