Alan Turing was one of the greatest minds of Britain, with a fascinating life story that emphasizes the significance of a good education and the effects that exclusion and racism can have on people. Not only was Turing an inspiration, but his bravery and brilliance made him a hero in the second World War.

Turing was born on June 23, 1912. His parents were often away when he was growing up, and he had to deal with the majority of his problems on his own. Even though Alan wasn’t social, he had a very good friend named Christopher Morcom. Unfortunately, in February of 1930, his friend died of Tuberculosis before Turning was able to explain that he had developed a love of Morcom. He had trouble letting go of the horrible devastation; he developed theories revolving around the idea that Morcom’s mind was still on the earth and only his body had left.

Despite his the many traumas of his life, Turing grew to be very bright and was asked to help the Allied Powers crack the German code (Enigma) during World War II. He joined forces with other English geniuses and became the leader of the operation. He spent large amounts of money working on a computer called that could crack German code without requiring much help from humans.

Turing spent countless days with his team while working on breaking enigma. He was assisted by Hugh Alexander, Stewart Menzies, Joan Clarke, and Peter Hilton. After many challenges, Turing and his team succeeded, but had to be tactical in order to keep the Germans from changing their code. This forced them to keep the enigma and its accomplishments a secret for a while.

Alan Turing died on June 7, 1954 after being put on trial and given the choice between prison or years of chemical prescription because of his homosexuality. He was found dead in his house years later. It is suspected that he committed suicide.

Heartbreaking stories like that of Alan Turing can remind us of the many accomplishments (and struggles) that go unnoticed, even today. It is encouraging to know what such a small person can do for a big world, and I hope that people will read the story of Alan Turing and know that anyone can be a hero.