30. Alan Turing: Computer Daddy
/In this episode of History is Gay, Leigh and guest host Maren tackle the father of modern computing, and gay geek hero, Alan Turing! Whether he be sending love-struck letters about astronomy to his high school bestie, riding a bicycle in a gas mask, or completely revolutionizing mathematics and machinery, we’re in awe of Alan. Listen as we talk about his successes and foibles, and how history did this code-breaking, number-crunching badass dirty.
A Closer Look at Alan Turing
Alan at age 16. What a cutie!
One of the Bombes at Bletchley Park. This is what computers used to look like, y’all!
The German’s Enigma machine
Stephen Kettle’s 2007 Alan Turing statue, in Bletchley Park.
As we mentioned in the episode, here is video of Joan Clarke (later Joan Murray), discussing her short-lived engagement to Alan Turing:
If you want to learn more about the Alan Turing, check out our full list of sources and further reading below!
Overlooked No More: Alan Turing, Condemned Code Breaker and Computer Visionary
The Turing Digital Archive (You can see a whole bunch of primary source documents here, including letters written in Alan’s own handwriting!)
Books and Print Articles:
Alan Turing: The Enigma by Andrew Hodges
The Imitation Game: Alan Turning Decoded by Jim Ottoviani and Leland Purvis
Queers in History by Keith Stern
Out of the Past: Gay and Lesbian History from 1869 to the Present by Neil Miller
Queer, There, and Everywhere by Sarah Prager
Who’s Who in Gay & Lesbian History by Robert Aldrich and Garry Wotherspoon
