Alan Turing is recognized as a pioneer in computer theory. His classic 1936 paper, "On Computable Numbers, with an Application to the Entscheidungs Problem," detailed a machine that served as a model for the first working computers. During World War II, Turing took part in the top-secret ULTRA project and helped decipher German military codes. During this same time, Turing conducted groundbreaking work that led to the first operational digital electronic computers. Another notable paper was published in 1950 and offered what became known as the "Turing Test" to determine if a machine possessed intelligence.

Alan Mathison Turing was born on June 23, 1912, in Paddington, England, to Julius Mathison Turing and Ethel Sara Stoney. Turing's father served in the British civil service in India, and his wife generally accompanied him. Thus, for the majority of their childhoods, Alan and his older brother, John, saw very little of their parents. While in...