MANCHESTER is to stage a festival to celebrate 100 years since the birth of genius codebreaker Alan Turing .
The festival, will be held in June 2012, and will centre on a performance of Breaking the Code, the play written about how he unlocked secret Nazi transmissions during the Second World War.
After the war whilst working at Manchester University Turing helped create the computer.
In recognition of this achievement, council bosses hope to ask Bill Gates,founder of Microsoft, to open the festival.
The plans were announced at a celebration of Turing's life in Manchester's Gay Village this weekend which was arranged following Gordon Brown's official pardon and apology for Turing's prosecution for gross indecency.
Contribution
City centre spokesman Coun Pat Karney said: “We have a lot of great heroes in Manchester, a lot of people who have contribute to build Manchester into the great city that it is today, but we have few gay heroes – he is one of them in terms of his contribution to our country and city.
“We are going to have a Turing festival in two years time to commemorate the 100th year of his birth to commemorate his saving tens of thousands of lives in this country.”
The celebration took place next to the lifesize statue of Turing in Sackville Park, which was raised in 2001 after a fund-raising campaign by Stockport barrister Richard Humphry.
Its inscription reads: “Father of computer science, mathematician, logician, wartime codebreaker, victim of prejudice.”
Manchester Blackley MP Graham Stringer, who pushed for recognition of Turing's achievements during his time as leader of the city council, said: “His is an extraordinary story of a man who saved hundreds of thousands if not millions of lives, who helped invent the computer and was persecuted to the point of death by suicide.
“We no longer live in the world of the 1950s where people are persecuted for being gay but his is a fascinating and sad story which we must remember.”
Turing hastened the Allied victory through his wartime work at Bletchley Park and later moved to Manchester to work on the pioneering Mark 1 computer.
Relationship
He was prosecuted for gross indecency in 1952. He had formed a relationship with a younger man who went on to steal from his house. In reporting the theft to police, he admitted the relationship and was subsequently prosecuted.
His punishment involved taking experimental hormones which caused distressing physical side-effects and are thought to have contributed to his depression. Although still working at Manchester University, he was cut off from further defence work and spurned by many of his former government colleagues.
Falling into depression, he took his own life at his Wilmslow home in 1954, by eating an apple laced with cyanide.
Although landmarks have been named in his honour - including The Alan Turing Way bypass in Manchester - campaigners believe Turing still does not have the recognition he deserves.
Time Magazine named the scientist one of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century. Colleagues at the maths department where Turing once worked have suggested a street near the city centre or university is re-named in the scientist's honour.
In September Gordon Brown said sorry for the 'appalling' way in which Turing was treated after more than 30,000 people called for an official apology as part of a huge internet campaign.
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Showing comments 1 to 19 and replies | View All
Free Red, Manchester (07/12/2009 at 12:02)
Why does he have to be remembered as a gay hero? His sexuality had nothing to do with his contribution during the war.
Mark,Radcliffe. (07/12/2009 at 12:29)
Brock, Hulme (07/12/2009 at 13:00)
keyjockey, Manchester (07/12/2009 at 13:33)
Mrs Jammy, Sitting on the settee (07/12/2009 at 13:41)
Knowsleyman, Paphos (07/12/2009 at 13:44)
Did any of this affect his contribution to the war effort? Not on little bit.
castlefieldres, manchester (07/12/2009 at 14:15)
This guy was a genius and should be honoured properly. Surely there should be a permanent exhibit to him at the War Museum North????? That could teach youngsters about the guy and his acheivements. His private life should be just that.
That he was gay is irrelevant and should not be brought up. Can they not see by pointing this out they themselves are adding to the issue?
Chapman (07/12/2009 at 14:21)
I for one am really pleased tht the City of Manchester has seen fit to commemorate his life and look forward to the event.
If it was London the coverage would be 24/7 at the time it took place.
Can we not get behind this great city of ours instead of wallowing in negativity all the time please?
want to leave, Stretford (07/12/2009 at 15:37)
Andanotherthing, Mcr (07/12/2009 at 16:08)
Andanotherthing, Mcr (07/12/2009 at 16:45)
northred, prestwich (07/12/2009 at 17:04)
a lot of great people have had this and coped and been accepted even though things will have been tough.. but life is tough..
If he was put in a special class and had a support worker or extra time in exams do you think he would have had the self esteem or esteem of others to have got as far as he did..
gortonian, gorton (07/12/2009 at 17:29)
petan, openshaw (07/12/2009 at 17:38)
andy (07/12/2009 at 18:31)
It is comments like Mr Karney's that help keep the gay community marginalised. He should hang his head in shame.
ergo (07/12/2009 at 19:56)
We live in an insane world, there are now claimed to be millions of autistics. How on earth did we win the last war or achieve anything. Turing was a great man.Who suffered greatly He deserves better than to have people I do not believe are remotely gay -just latching on to an alternative life style making an icon out of him to serve their own self worth.
Actually I was asked to describe my friend. I said he was the most morose man I have ever met. They said we know who you mean.
ergo (08/12/2009 at 10:32)
lead poisoning, TB, diphtheria,Scarlet fever, being evacuated,getting no sleep because of the air raids, rationing,anything turning septic. My father worked with a man who stood on a nail.He was dead in no time.No antibiotics,or most other medicines.
Life was not a problem really compared with today. No wonder they have to invent spurious complaints.
salfordrat (08/12/2009 at 23:28)
Andanotherthing, Mcr
That is the most sensible thing you have ever said. The more I think about it, some kind of trashy sexually orientated event, maybe with Jedward or even Kylie, playing a special Alan Turing gig would do nothing to remember this mans greatness in the scientific field. Yes it is important not to hide the fact that he was gay, but for god sake, don't remember himfor something he had no control over when we should remember him for the things he actually acheived.
To - want to leave, stretford - I think you are confused. This is not the doing of self promoting focus groups. It is the doing of a self promoting council and its gang of self promoting leaders.
northred, prestwich (09/12/2009 at 23:52)