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New Alan Turing £50 note unveiled by the Bank of England
A worthy addition to the new note
The new £50 note has been unveiled by the Bank of England, and it features Manchester legend Alan Turing.
The new banknote celebrates the achievements of the mathematician, who helped Britain and its allies defeat Hitler and win World War Two thanks to his code-breaking skills.
Turing was also known for his pioneering work at the University of Manchester on what would later become known as computer science.
Sarah John, the chief cashier at the Bank of England, told Sky News: “He’s best known for his code-breaking work… but beyond that he’s known as the father of computer science.
“He envisaged the basics of what we’ve come to know as the modern computer and the impact that has had on our everyday lives, that legacy, has been absolutely enormous.”
The bank asked the public who they thought should be put on the new £50 note, with more than 225,000 names nominated – Turing was one of 989 scientists put forward.
After 12 names were placed on a shortlist, the Bank of England’s governor – which at the time was Mark Carney – decided to choose Alan Turing.
Former Manchester MP and LGBTQ+ rights campaigner John Leech, who also campaigned for Turing’s pardon, said: “This is a fitting and welcome tribute to a true Manchester hero.
“But more importantly I hope it will serve as a stark and rightfully painful reminder of what we lost in Turing, and what we risk when we allow that kind of hateful ideology to win.”
Alongside an image of the scientist, the new £50 note will feature the mathematical formulae from his 1936 paper which laid the groundwork for modern computer science.
There’s also technical drawings for the machines which were used to decipher the Enigma code during World War Two, and a Turing quote about the rise of machine intelligence: “This is only a foretaste of what is to come, and only the shadow of what is going to be.”
You’ll be able to get your hands on one when it’s released to the public on June 23rd 2021 – the day Turing was born back in 1912.