Turing Featured on New British £50 Banknote

A new 50-pound banknote featuring Alan Turing has entered circulation in Britain. The mathematician and computer scientist designed machines to decrypt coded messages during World War II, laying the theoretical foundation for modern computer science.

The Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey said, 'Placing him on this new banknote is a recognition of his contributions to our society, and a celebration of his remarkable life.'

Turing was gay at a time when sex between men was illegal in Britain. He received a criminal conviction as a result in 1952, lost his security clearance, and died of cyanide poisoning less than two years later.