The Imitation Game: Alan Turing's Lifelong Struggle

Alan Turing, British mathematician, logician, and cryptanalyst, took part in a real-life incident known as the 'Imitation Game'. During World War II, Turing joined the British government's code-breaking department at Bletchley Park. Here, he invented an electromechanical machine, the Bombe, that greatly assisted in decoding Enigma, the complex encryption machine used by the Axis. Turing's 'Imitation Game' was a test of a machine's ability to imitate human behaviour - now popularly known as the Turing Test - hence the name. His work played a decisive role in the war effort, as the Allies reportedly shortened the war by more than two years, saving countless lives. Despite his major contribution, Turing's homosexuality led to prosecution by the British government in 1952. He opted for chemical castration to avoid prison but died by suicide two years later on June 7, 1954.