Alan Turing to be featured on the 50-pound banknote
The Bank of England will be honoring the late World War II codebreaker Alan Turing as the new face of the UK’s 50-pound note. In honor of the late LGBTQ historical figure, the Bank of England proudly flew a rainbow flag above the center of London’s financial district to celebrate the announcement.
The new £50 note featuring Alan Turing is coming on 23 June 2021. Find out about its design and security features: https://t.co/nbOlU9kgCU #TheNew50 pic.twitter.com/FhPBJAVFP6
— Bank of England (@bankofengland) March 25, 2021
The 50-pound note is the highest denomination of the UK pound that will feature a portrait of Alan Turing along with a quote, his codebreaking formula, and imagery of Turing’s codebreaking machine. The new banknote will feature one of Turing’s quotes, “This is only a foretaste of what is to come and only the shadow of what is going to be.”
Alan Turing is a historical figure of the UK as the father of computer science and artificial intelligence who broke Adolf Hitler’s Enigma code system helping defeat Germany in World War II. Turing’s life story was adapted into the 2014 movie “The Imitation Game” starring Benedict Cumberbatch and the tragic end for Turing.
Despite the monumental impact Turing made on the defeat of Germany in World War II, his status as a mathematical genius was largely unknown with the secrecy surrounding his computer research and the stigma surrounding his sexuality. Following his heroic efforts for WWII, Turing was prosecuted in 1952 for homosexual acts under the Labouchere Amendment of 1885 that mandated “gross indecency” was a crime in the UK.
Today, the new Alan Turing £50 note design is officially unveiled. It’s vital that we celebrate LGBT history, which is often less visible, and make sure that we represent the diversity of those who paved the way before us and made our lives possible. https://t.co/5d83p5aAhB
— Stonewall (@stonewalluk) March 25, 2021
During his prosecution, Turing agreed to accept chemical castration treatment as an alternative to serving prison time. Turing passed away in 1954 at the age of 41 with causes indicating cyanide poisoning and an inquest determined his death as a suicide with evidence also consistent with accidental poisoning.
The British government has recognized the wrongful treatment of a historical figure that helped win WWII with Queen Elizabeth II granting Turing a pardon in 2013. Following the full pardon, the United Kingdom acknowledges what is known as the “Alan Turing law” in 2017 that retroactively pardons men convicted or cautioned under historical legislation outlawing homosexual acts.
💷🏳️🌈NEW: This is the new Alan Turing £50 note- what a wonderful moment 🌈 pic.twitter.com/IwUrLckDwc
— Scott Beasley (@SkyScottBeasley) March 25, 2021
The British government is acknowledging the past through reform of discriminatory laws and policies while giving recognition to figures such as Turing. The new banknote will be made available to the public on June 23 marking Turing’s birthday.
In 2019, a public nomination process selected Turing with approximately 250,000 votes with a majority of recognition of discrimination gay men faced after the war. This new banknote will seal Turing’s legacy as a major historical figure of the UK for the future to come.
