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More than 5000 entries on the history, culture and life of Britain (published in 1993 by Macmillan, now out of print)
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Alan Turing
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(1912–54) Mathematician who was an important pioneer in the theory of the computer. He made an early contribution with his 1937 paper On Computable Numbers, and during the war played a leading role in deciphering German codes at Bletchley Park in Buckinghamshire – particularly in the highly successful Ultra programme, unscrambling German radio messages transmitted in Enigma. Subsequently Turing supervised the construction of two computers known by acroynyms – ACE (Automatic Computing Agency) at the National Physical Laboratory in Teddington, and MADAM (Manchester Automatic Digital Machine) at the university of Manchester. His early death was a tragic result of British law at that time; he committed suicide after being prosecuted for *homosexual activities.
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