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Alan Turing gets a long overdue pardon

Alan Turing, the father of computer science, was persecuted for being gay. This week, the British government finally pardoned him.

If you know anything about the history of computer science, you’ve probably heard the name Alan Turing. He’s called the father of computer science for formalizing ideas like the algorithm and computation. The famous mathematician also played a key role in helping the Allied Forces use code breaking against the Nazis during World War II, which is why it may come as a surprise that a few years later he was convicted of homosexuality by the British government and died at the age of 41. This week, Turing got a royal pardon. Danny Shaw, home affairs correspondent for the BBC, tells Marketplace Tech the story. Click the audio player above to listen.

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