When I first got into computer science (lo those many years ago), Alan Turing‘s name was one held in reverence. Turing’s big giant brain hatched many of the abstract ideas at the root of the computing tree. The idea of a computer moving through its varied states, driven by algorithms, owes a lot to Turing’s fertile imagination.

Tragically, Turing’s bright light was snuffed out by incredible injustice. From his Wikipedia page:

Turing’s homosexuality resulted in a criminal prosecution in 1952, when homosexual acts were still criminalized in the United Kingdom. He accepted treatment with female hormones (chemical castration) as an alternative to prison. Turing died in 1954, just over two weeks before his 42nd birthday, from cyanide poisoning. An inquest determined that his death was suicide; his mother and some others believed his death was accidental. On 10 September 2009, following an Internet campaign, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown made an official public apology on behalf of the British government for “the appalling way he was treated.” In May 2012, a private member’s bill was put before the House of Lords to grant Turing a statutory pardon. In July 2013 it gained government support and the royal prerogative of mercy was granted on 23 December 2013.

Here’s a link to the pardon itself. About fucking time.