2) Alan Turing

“We can only see a short distance ahead, but we can see plenty there that needs to be done”

Turing is is considered the grandaddy of modern PC’s and was a code breaker extraodinaire during World War II. Like all British heroes he was as quirky as a loom. During hay fever season he’d cycle to work with a gas mask on, and he kept his mug chained to the radiator to prevent it being stolen.

Unfortunately for Turing, equality and sensible thought hadn’t been invented yet. He was a gay man in a country where such a thing was illegal. So after his incredible mind had played no small part in saving us from the Nazis, he was arrested and chemically castrated. I know, it’s hard to believe that just 60 years ago that was something that actually happened in Britain. We’d all be better off if we remembered how backwards we were not so long ago, before glaring at other countries from our inappropriately high horses.

☛ More: Alan Turing: The Genius Who Was Chemically Castrated