The BBC named Alan Turing the most ‘iconic’ figure of the 20th Century on Tuesday. Turing was instrumental in cracking Nazi codes during World War II. But he was later chemically castrated for being gay and committed suicide. He’s commonly known as the founding father of computer science.
Broadcaster Chris Packham gave an inspiring and heartwarming speech commemorating his life:
“A genius. A saviour. But he was also autistic and gay. So we betrayed him.”@ChrisGPackham's speech about #Icons winner Alan Turing might just make you cry. pic.twitter.com/dwCFEMi0bh
— BBC Two (@BBCTwo) February 6, 2019
To win the accolade, Turing beat figures such as Martin Luther King Jr, Nelson Mandela, Ernest Shackleton, Pablo Picasso, David Bowie and Muhammad Ali.
In 2013, Queen Elizabeth II pardoned Turing for his 1952 conviction for having sex with another man. Some 49,000 gay men were convicted for homosexuality. They include poet, wit and playwright Oscar Wilde.
