image credit YouTubeIn 1952 scientist Alan Turing was betrayed by the British government. The scientist who was instrumental, through his code breaking endeavors, of shortening the Second World War, was arrested for little more than being gay. Turing's homosexuality resulted in a criminal prosecution in 1952, when homosexual acts were still illegal in the United Kingdom. He accepted treatment with female hormones (chemical castration) as an alternative to prison.
Alan Turing died in 1954, just over two weeks before his 42nd birthday, from cyanide poisoning. An inquest determined that his death was suicide; his mother and some others believed his death was accidental.
