Departure from NPL
Leaves the National Physical Laboratory after delays in constructing the full ACE design.
Historical biography archive · Updated 2026-11-03
Alan Mathison Turing Biography and Timeline — Page 3
Follow Alan Mathison Turing through 122 dated historical records for Great Britain.
Alan Mathison Turing, historical timeline
A chronological timeline drawn from matching World History Database records.
122Distinct records
3 of 4Page
1948–1953Years on this page
1948
Generalised Cholesky Method
Describes a generalisation of Choleskys method with advantages for numerical accuracy and convenience.
Intelligent Machinery
Writes the NPL report Intelligent Machinery, one of the earliest substantial discussions of machine intelligence.
Machine Learning by Training
Explores the idea that intelligent behaviour can emerge by training a machine through experience and modification.
Manchester Computing Laboratory
Moves to the University of Manchester as Deputy Director of the Computing Machine Laboratory.
Manchester Mark I Contribution
Begins contributing to the practical and theoretical development of the Manchester Mark I computer.
Matrix Numerical Stability
Shows that several standard matrix methods need not suffer catastrophic exponential accumulation of rounding error.
Practical Forms of Type Theory
Publishes Practical Forms of Type Theory, proposing nested-type and concealed-type logical systems.
Rounding-Off Errors in Matrix Processes
Publishes a major numerical-analysis paper examining error growth in methods for solving linear equations and inverting matrices.
Unorganised Machines
Introduces unorganised machines as networks whose behaviour can be trained rather than completely fixed in advance.
1949
Manchester Software Requirements
Works on early software requirements needed to make the Manchester Mark I useful to mathematical programmers.
Mark I Paper Tape Equipment
Helps obtain paper-tape equipment and assists with attaching it to the Manchester Mark I.
Turing Joins Manchester Computing Research
Alan Turing worked on programming and theoretical computing after joining the university. The project contributed to an expanding network of engineering expertise.
1950
Base 32 Programming Notation
Is chiefly responsible for the base-32 notation used by programmers working with the Manchester and Ferranti machines.
Child Machine Concept
Proposes building a simpler child machine and educating it rather than attempting to program an adult-level mind directly.
Computing Machinery and Intelligence
Publishes Computing Machinery and Intelligence in Mind, establishing a foundational text of artificial intelligence.
Ferranti Mark I Random Number Order
Contributes to additional Ferranti Mark I instructions, notably the random-number generator order.
Imitation Game
Recasts the question of whether machines can think as the operational imitation game later known as the Turing Test.
Learning Machine Research
Argues that learning and adaptation should be central to the development of intelligent machines.
Machine Intelligence Objections
Systematically examines and answers major philosophical, mathematical and practical objections to the possibility of machine intelligence.
Scheme A Programming System
Designs the Scheme A method of organising programs and subroutines with Cicely Popplewell for the Ferranti Mark I.
Universal Computer and Intelligence
Connects the universality of digital computers with the possibility that suitably programmed machines could display many forms of intelligent behaviour.
Computing Machinery And Intelligence Published
Turing's influential paper proposed an operational approach to evaluating machine intelligence. Its methods affected the scale or precision of subsequent work.
1951
Ferranti Mark I Programming
Takes a leading role in preparing programmers to use the Ferranti Mark I delivered to Manchester.
Morphogenesis Manuscript Submitted
Submits his major manuscript on the mathematical basis of biological pattern formation to the Royal Society.
Christopher Strachey Computing Support
Encourages Christopher Stracheys early computer work and provides access to programming information for the Manchester machine.
Fellow of the Royal Society
Is elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in recognition of his major contributions to mathematics and computation.
Machine Intelligence Lecture
Continues lecturing on whether digital computers can think and on the future development of machine intelligence.
Programmers Handbook
Writes the first edition of the Programmers Handbook for the Manchester Electronic Computer Mark II.
Programming Conventions
Documents programming conventions, coding examples, routine organisation and practical methods for users of the Manchester computer.
1952
Trial
Please "guilty", in spite of the fact that he felt no remorse or guilt for having committed acts of homosexuality, Turing is convicted and given a choice between imprisonment and probation, which would be conditional on his agreement to undergo hormonal treatment designed to reduce libido, accepts treatment via injections of stilboestrol, a synthetic oestrogen
Chemical Basis of Morphogenesis
Publishes The Chemical Basis of Morphogenesis in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society.
Digital Morphogenesis Modelling
Uses numerical and computational thinking to explore non-linear biological pattern formation and the onset of instability.
Morphogens
Uses the term morphogens for interacting chemical substances whose reaction and diffusion can organise developing biological form.
Reaction Diffusion Theory
Shows mathematically how interacting chemical substances that diffuse at different rates can generate spatial biological patterns.
Stationary Wave Patterns
Analyses conditions under which reaction-diffusion systems can produce stationary wave-like patterns in a ring of cells.
Turing Pattern Instability
Explains how a homogeneous chemical state can become unstable and develop organised spatial structure after small disturbances.
Reaction Diffusion Morphogenesis Theory Published
Turing showed how reacting and diffusing chemical substances could spontaneously form biological patterns. The achievement expanded the capabilities of a major research centre.
1953
Fibonacci Plant Patterns
Investigates mathematical relationships between morphogenesis, phyllotaxis and Fibonacci-type structures in plants.
Phyllotaxis Research
Extends his morphogenesis research toward the mathematical study of leaf arrangement and plant pattern formation.
Records, sources and methodology
These dates and descriptions come from the historical_events database. Exact duplicate records have been collapsed. Names are grouped by the country, Name 2 and Name 1 fields; records with missing Name 2 cannot be reliably assigned to an individual biography. Check the underlying sources before formal citation.