Considered by many to be the father of modern computer science Alan Turing was a mathematician who has been influential to the field of computing with his work on algorithms and the development of the Turing machine. He also made contributions to the field of artificial intelligence with his Turing test, a test that is still relevant today.

During WW2 Turing served at Bletchley Park where he helped crack the German Enigma code. However despite his contribution to the war effort and research into the fields of artificial intelligence and computing he was arrested in 1952 and prosecuted under the gross indecency act after admitting to a sexual relationship with another man. Later in 1954 after his treatment by the British authorities he killed himself.

The facts are simple anyone who works with a modern computer is working on an incarnation of a Turing machine. Because of this John Graham-Cumming has started a petition to get Alan Turing an official apology for his treatment. Alan Turing was a pioneer in what is now our field and much of what we now take for granted wouldn't have been possible without the advances people like Alan Turing made, so please sign the petition before January 2010.

Petition to: apologize for the prosecution of Alan Turing that led to his untimely death