Dr. Alan Turing, the computer scientist who cracked the code that encrypted communications between German U-boats in World War II, and later committed suicide after receiving a criminal conviction for his homosexuality, has been granted a posthumous pardon by the Queen of Britain.
After a high-profile campaign that was backed by 37,404 online petitioners including Professor Stephen Hawking, Dr. Turing was granted pardon under the Royal Prerogative of Mercy.
"Alan Turing was a remarkable man who played a key role in saving this country in World War Two by cracking the German Enigma code." said British PM David Cameron in a statement. "His action saved countless lives. He also left a remarkable national legacy through his substantial scientific achievements, often being referred to as the father of modern computing."
According to historians, Dr. Turing's invention of the machine that cracked the Enigma codes used by German U-boats for communicating, shortened the war by two years.
After Dr. Turing was convicted for his "gross indecency" he was chemically castrated. Subsequently, he also lost his job at Britain's electronic eavesdropping agency GCHQ.
Back in 2009, then Labour Prime Minister Gordon Brown made a public apology for Dr. Turing's treatment but his initiation was backed out by then ministers saying it was impossible to overturn his conviction for gross indecency. Although homosexuality was decriminalised in Britain in 1967.
Alan Turing is often referred as 'father of computing' and is best known for his work on 'universal turing machines'.
At the age of 41, on June 7, 1954, Dr. Turing died of cyanide poisoning after consuming an apple laced with it. Although the inquest was recorded as a verdict of suicide, people close to him believed it was an accident and therefore the verdict remains questioned to date.
