Turing is widely regarded as the father of modern computing, completing work at the National Physical Laboratory and later at the University of Manchester that was instrumental in early computer development. “He set the foundations for work on artificial intelligence by considering the question of whether machines could think,” the Bank said in a statement.
In 1952, Turing was prosecuted for homosexual acts and ordered to undergo chemical castration. He died two years later — it was later concluded that he committed suicide, and in 2013 he received a royal pardon. John Leech, former Liberal Democrat member of Parliament for Manchester Withington who helped lead the campaign for Turing’s pardon, called the new note a “massive acknowledgement of his mistreatment and unprecedented contribution to society.”