Mathematician · 1912 – 1954
Alan Turing
Little-Known Facts
- Turing was a world-class long-distance runner whose marathon time was close to Olympic standard.
- His final paper turned to biology, explaining how chemical patterns can generate stripes and spots in nature.
Myths & Misconceptions
Did Turing single-handedly break Enigma?
No. Codebreaking was a vast team effort building on earlier Polish work, but Turing's machines and methods were central to its success.