Paris honours British cryptographer Alan Turing with street name
Sixty five years after his death, the British mathematician and cryptographer Alan Turing has been honoured by having a Paris square named after him.
The British codebreaker and wartime hero will now be remembered on the Parvis Alan Turing - an open square that is home to the Station F business startup hub in Paris' 13th arrondissement.
Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo said she was "proud that Paris was paying homage to Alan Turing".
Fière que @Paris rende hommage à Alan Turing, devant la Station F qui lui doit beaucoup. Mathématicien et cryptologue de génie, héros de la Seconde Guerre mondiale, il est une icône du combat pour la reconnaissance des droits #LGBTQI+. Son héritage est considérable. https://t.co/l2Er4MHIIA
— Anne Hidalgo (@Anne_Hidalgo) September 25, 2019
"Mathematician and cryptographer of genius, hero of the Second World War, he is an icon of the fight for the recognition of rights for LGBTQI+ people. His legacy is considerable," she tweeted.
Deputy mayor Christophe Gerard added: "Sixty five years after his death, due to his conviction for homosexuality, Paris pays tribute to Alan Turing. He was a brilliant avant-garde mathematician and a war hero."
The new Alan Turing square is an open plaza on which is sited Station F, a business space dedicated to tech-based start-ups in a nod to his status as the father of modern computing.
Turing lead the British code-breaking team at the top secret Bletchley Park during the Second World War, cracking the Germans' Enigma code in an achievement that is widely credited with shortening the war.
However in 1952 he was prosecuted for homosexual acts, which at that time were illegal in the UK.
He accepted chemical castration as an alternative to prison, but later took his own life. In 2009, following an online campaign, he was formally pardoned by the British Prime Minister.
Comments
See Also
The British codebreaker and wartime hero will now be remembered on the Parvis Alan Turing - an open square that is home to the Station F business startup hub in Paris' 13th arrondissement.
Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo said she was "proud that Paris was paying homage to Alan Turing".
Fière que @Paris rende hommage à Alan Turing, devant la Station F qui lui doit beaucoup. Mathématicien et cryptologue de génie, héros de la Seconde Guerre mondiale, il est une icône du combat pour la reconnaissance des droits #LGBTQI+. Son héritage est considérable. https://t.co/l2Er4MHIIA
— Anne Hidalgo (@Anne_Hidalgo) September 25, 2019
"Mathematician and cryptographer of genius, hero of the Second World War, he is an icon of the fight for the recognition of rights for LGBTQI+ people. His legacy is considerable," she tweeted.
Deputy mayor Christophe Gerard added: "Sixty five years after his death, due to his conviction for homosexuality, Paris pays tribute to Alan Turing. He was a brilliant avant-garde mathematician and a war hero."
The new Alan Turing square is an open plaza on which is sited Station F, a business space dedicated to tech-based start-ups in a nod to his status as the father of modern computing.
Turing lead the British code-breaking team at the top secret Bletchley Park during the Second World War, cracking the Germans' Enigma code in an achievement that is widely credited with shortening the war.
However in 1952 he was prosecuted for homosexual acts, which at that time were illegal in the UK.
He accepted chemical castration as an alternative to prison, but later took his own life. In 2009, following an online campaign, he was formally pardoned by the British Prime Minister.
Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.
Please log in here to leave a comment.