Alan Mathison Turing Biography and Timeline

Birth of Alan Mathison Turing

Birth of Alan Mathison Turing

Hazelhurst School

Begins attending Hazelhurst preparatory school, where his letters already show a strong interest in mathematics, chemistry and invention.

Sherborne School

Moves from Hazelhurst to Sherborne School in Dorset for his secondary education.

Christopher Morcom Friendship

Forms an important intellectual friendship with fellow Sherborne pupil Christopher Morcom, sharing interests in mathematics and science.

Christopher Morcom Influence

After Christopher Morcom dies, Turing becomes increasingly interested in questions linking mind, matter, mathematics and scientific explanation.

Kings College Matriculation

Matriculates at Kings College, Cambridge, to read Mathematics.

Cambridge Mathematics Studies

Begins undergraduate study of mathematics at Cambridge, developing interests that later lead into mathematical logic and computation.

Kings College Scholarship

Wins an Open Scholarship in Mathematics to Kings College, Cambridge.

Mathematical Tripos First

Receives a First in Part II of the Mathematical Tripos at Cambridge.

Kings College Fellowship

Is elected a Fellow of Kings College for his mathematical work.

On the Gaussian Error Function

Completes fellowship work titled On the Gaussian Error Function, demonstrating his growing strength in probability and analysis.

Princeton University Research

Travels to Princeton University for advanced research in mathematical logic under Alonzo Church.

Princeton Cryptography Ideas

Writes from Princeton about his interest in constructing unusual cipher systems, showing that cryptography was already part of his technical thinking.

Alonzo Church Supervision

Begins doctoral study with logician Alonzo Church, connecting Turings machine approach with contemporary work on effective calculability.

Computability Definition

Provides a precise mathematical account of what it means for a number or function to be computable by an effective mechanical procedure.

Entscheidungsproblem Result

Uses his machine model to show that there can be no general mechanical procedure deciding every statement in the relevant formal system.

On Computable Numbers

Completes the draft of On Computable Numbers, with an Application to the Entscheidungsproblem.

Smiths Prize

Receives the Smiths Prize for mathematical work at Cambridge.

Turing Machine

Introduces an abstract machine model that formalises step-by-step mechanical computation.

Universal Computing Machine

Shows that one universal machine can simulate the operation of any machine described by a finite table of instructions.

Computable Numbers Correction

Publishes a correction to On Computable Numbers, refining details of his foundational computability paper.

Electronic Multiplier

Builds a small electronic multiplier while at Princeton as part of experimental work connected with enciphering machinery.

GCandCS Consultancy

Begins consulting for the Government Code and Cypher School before the outbreak of the Second World War.

Oracle Machine Concept

Develops the idea of machines that can consult an external oracle when studying relative computability and unsolvable problems.

Ordinal Logic Thesis

Completes doctoral work on systems of logic based on ordinals, extending formal reasoning beyond fixed logical systems.

Princeton PhD

Receives his PhD from Princeton University for research in mathematical logic.

Return to Kings College

Returns to Kings College after completing his Princeton doctorate.

Riemann Hypothesis Machine

Begins constructing an analogue mechanical device intended to investigate numerical aspects of the Riemann hypothesis.

Von Neumann Job Offer

Declines an opportunity associated with John von Neumann and chooses to return to his fellowship at Cambridge.

Enigma Machine

The day after the UK declared war on Germany, Turing reports to Bletchley Park, the wartime station of GC&CS

Role range: 1939-1945

Systems of Logic Based on Ordinals

Publishes Systems of Logic Based on Ordinals, developed from his Princeton doctoral research.

Hut 8 Assignment

Is assigned to the Bletchley Park section that becomes responsible for attacking German Naval Enigma.

Role range: 1939-1945

Naval Enigma Research

Concentrates on the particularly difficult problem of German Naval Enigma and U-boat communications.

Role range: 1939-1945

Enigma Machine

The first operational break into Enigma when the team working under Dilly Knox, with the mathematicians John Jeffreys, Peter Twinn and Alan Turing, unravelled the German Army administrative key that became known at Bletchley Park as The Green, encouraged by this success, the codebreakers later crack the Red key used by the Luftwaffe

Role range: 1939-1945

Luftwaffe

The first operational break into Enigma when the team working under Dilly Knox, with the mathematicians John Jeffreys, Peter Twinn and Alan Turing, unravelled the German Army administrative key that became known at Bletchley Park as The Green, encouraged by this success, the codebreakers later crack the Red key used by the Luftwaffe

Role range: 1939-1945

Enigma Machine

Meets Polish cryptanalysts in Paris and absorbs techniques that influence the British Bombe design.

Role range: 1939-1945

Enigma Machine

The first bombe is installed

Role range: 1939-1945

Profs Book

Produces a detailed cryptanalytic reference manual on Naval Enigma known at Bletchley Park as Profs Book.

Role range: 1939-1945

Banburismus

Develops Banburismus, a statistical method that reduces the number of Naval Enigma rotor settings requiring Bombe tests.

Role range: 1939-1945

Bombe Logical Design

Develops the central logical design used by the British Bombe to search efficiently for possible Enigma settings.

Role range: 1939-1945