## Ahead of His Time — Mathematician and computer science pioneer Alan Turing will appear on UK currency

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### Selection and symbolism
- The Bank of England announced that Alan Turing (1912–54) would be the face of the United Kingdom’s £50 note, chosen as part of a science-themed honor.
- Selection followed a months-long “Think Science” campaign that elicited nearly a quarter-million nominations from the public and was narrowed by a committee of scientists and central bank officials.
- The new £50 will feature:
  - A photo of Turing and a composite image representing his ideas and inventions on the reverse side.
  - Photos of Turing and an early computer developed using his designs, along with technical drawings and mathematical formulas from his 1936 paper.
- The new £50 notes are scheduled to be issued in late 2021.

### Turing’s contributions highlighted
- Key achievements cited:
  - Seminal 1936 paper “On Computable Numbers” that proposed a computing machine and laid foundations for computer science.
  - Development of the code-breaking Bombe machine at Bletchley Park, building on work from Polish mathematicians, contributing to cracking the German Enigma code and credited with shortening World War II.
  - Postwar work helping create the world’s first commercial computers and articulating philosophical and logical foundations for artificial intelligence.
- Public recognition: Turing’s influence as a profound and inventive thinker of the modern digital age was a primary reason for celebration on the banknote.

### Personal legacy and redress
- Turing’s prosecution and punishment:
  - Convicted of “gross indecency” for a private relationship; government security clearance revoked, effectively ending his career.
  - Submitted to chemical castration to avoid prison.
  - Death at age 41 was ruled a suicide.
- Later official redress:
  - 2009: British government issued a posthumous apology.
  - He later received a formal royal pardon.
  - 2017: Legislation known as the “Alan Turing law” was passed, pardoning those convicted under the long-rescinded antigay laws of the time.
- Public response to his selection has been positive; his life story is seen as highlighting past injustices and progress still to be made.

### Currency design, materials, and context
- The £50 will be printed on polymer for the first time:
  - Polymer is described as much harder to counterfeit, more resilient, and having a lower carbon footprint than paper.
  - The £5 and £10 notes have already been issued on polymer.
  - The polymer £20 is set to be issued in 2020.
- Current notable banknote portraits:
  - Sir Winston Churchill on the £5.
  - Jane Austen on the £10.
  - J. M. W. Turner will replace Adam Smith on the £20 note next year.

### Cash use and digital payments
- Cash usage in the United Kingdom:
  - 28 percent of UK transactions were in cash in 2018, down from 40 percent in 2016, according to Sarah John, the Bank of England’s chief cashier.
- Commentary:
  - Cash is being supplanted by digital payments, but physical currency retains everyday practical purposes and cultural significance; banknotes are viewed as a symbol of the country.

*Source: Finance & Development (December 2019), “Ahead of His Time — Mathematician and computer science pioneer Alan Turing will appear on UK currency,” Melinda Weir.*

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_Source: https://www.imf.org/-/media/files/publications/fandd/article/2019/december/zh-do-not-use-rekia/alan-turing-on-uk-currency-weir.pdf_