http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8249792.stm
For those who might not know, Alan Turing was a British mathematician, cryptologist and computer scientist. Among his myriad accomplishments was breaking the Enigma cipher and laying the mathematical groundwork upon which all modern computing is based. It is no exaggeration to state that he was one of the very most important non-combatants involved with Allied war effort and one of the fathers of the Information Age. He was also gay. In the early 1950s he was convicted of "indecent acts" and forced to undergo "chemical castration" as terms of his parole. Just a few years later he was found dead of apparent suicide.
For the last several months there has been a petition circulating asking the British government to formally apologize for his arrest, conviction and punishment. Today they did.
Too late, of course, but about bleeding time.
How much better our lives might have been had he not been persecuted for his sexuality, nobody can say for sure.
My guess? A lot better.
One can only hope we do not squander our future geniuses in quite such a pointless fashion.
A bitter irony to contribute to defeating a nazi regime which would have persecuted him, only to receive such shoddy treatment from the "good guys".
Sorry if the above breaks site rules about politics..
Well said, Tommyboy. Persecution begets persecution, either side.
Glad it's finally been done, such an unfair waste of talent. :(
Glad to hear about this. While it's too late to undo the direct damage, I'm glad it's being recognized.