A British code-breaker who helped change the path of World War II and was later chemically castrated for homosexual activity receives a pardon from Queen Elizabeth 60 years after he committed suicide, CNN reported.
Alan Turing was castrated in 1952 after he was convicted of homosexuality, which was illegal at the time, in order to not have to serve a custodial sentence, according to CNN. He killed himself two years later at the age of 41 by eating an apple laced with cyanide.
"Dr. Turing deserves to be remembered and recognized for his fantastic contribution to the war effort and his legacy to science," British Justice Secretary Chris Grayling said in a statement Tuesday, according to CNN. "A pardon from the Queen is a fitting tribute to an exceptional man."
Grayling added Turing's sentence was "unjust and discriminatory," and "has now been repealed," CNN reported.
Turing's highest contribution to WW2 was the Bomb, a machine used to break codes and decipher messages encoded by the German machine durings the war, according to CNN. The messages decoded by Turing gave Britain and their allies important information on turning around the war.
Besides the Bombe, Turing also created the Turing machine and is considered a mathematical genius because he created the "basis of modern computing," according to CNN.
"Alan Turing was a remarkable man who played a key role in saving this country in World War II by cracking the German enigma code," British Prime Minister David Cameron said, CNN reported. "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.' "
Turing's pardon took effect Tuesday after an online petition started in 2009 received tens of thousands signatures insisting on an apology from Prime Minister Gordon Brown for Turing's treatment and injustice sentencing, CNN reported.
