As brilliant as it is inconstant, Turing started from mathematics to get to studies on embryo development, without neglecting that he was probably the architect of the victory of the British secret services against the Enigma machine, a machine used in Germany in the Second World War to code communications deemed most important.
Yet his greatest contribution was given in the field of computer science, dealing with laying the foundations of calculating machines (ie computers), artificial intelligence and programming. His project for the realization of a universal machine, that is able to to do the work of any other machine, it was the basis of the development of the current computers. His life influenced and was influenced by great characters such as Winston Churchill, Claude Shannon, Max Newman, John von Neumann, Norbert Wiener, Sir Geoffrey Jefferson, Bertrand Russel, Christopher Strachey ... to name a few.
Alan dies, presumably suicidal, 7 Jun 1944 at the age of not even 42 years, leaving the world a great legacy.
Beautiful book, which I recommend to all those who study computer science but also to history buffs for further information on the British and American society of the time.
Alessandro Rugolo
