Katie Charlwood (2:21)
Hello delicious friends, and welcome to who did what Now? The history podcast. That's not your history class. With me, your host, Katie Charlwood, history harlot and reader of books. I may have been ranting on the Internet this week. I mean, I did have some good stuff. But let's start with the ranting. Because yet again, arseholes cannot keep Anne Frank's name out of their damn mouths. One week they're arguing that she never existed and the very next they're going, don't use her as a comparison as to what ICE are doing what? And may I add the fck, because here's the thing, as historical references go, this is a fairly accurate one. Like, and I know I don't really talk about the Holocaust too much because one, it's incredibly depressing and two, this is not your history class. Like, I don't cover the very, very basics. Like, hey, they mass deported people into camps like this. I felt was a general knowledge situation. Although in recent years I've discovered what I've thought is a fact everyone knew, like general knowledge, common knowledge has turned out to be not the case. So, yeah, okay, so anyway, I've been ranting on the Internet about that because it's like, how dare you? I also got to use a Malibu Stacey reference, so that was fun for me. But it's just like, how dare you? How dare you try and use this poor girl who suffered in life and in death. How dare you? I am livid. I am, to quote my boss, cross. I am cross. I am unhappy with this. And I don't usually go like full on ranty, like on, on camera. And I'm normally a bit more composed, but I did a one take, like full on rant about this situation because I know what I'm fucking talking about, okay? This is my area of expertise and I don't usually do it and I don't do that. But the good news is, she says, stepping aside is that I did manage to film a video with my son. You may have seen his hand, because I bought him a dinosaur. Because he's been really doing well. He did very well. He progressed at school. I mean, he's not where he could be, but it's all a process. We're working together. And positive reinforcement I felt was like such a thing that we needed to do, you know. And so for, you know, actually, you know, working hard and the fact that he put in effort, I was like, great, you're getting a treat. So him and his sister, they did really well in the report cards this year. So I took them to Smith's Toys and I got them something they wanted. She wanted a 250 piece art set. I was like, absolutely, you get what you want. He wanted a dinosaur, I got him a dinosaur. And then he wanted to make a video with the dinosaur. And I was like, sure. And so we made it and people love Jeffy the Dinosaur, which has become a thing. And so if people behave, if y' all behave, you will get more Jeffy content. Okay, I've spoken to him and my boy is up for making more Jeffy content, so we will see what happens. And God, I hope Geoffy isn't like a weird slang for something that I'm too old to know about, because I don't. I don't need that hassle right now. But anyway, I know what you're thinking, Katie, it's been almost four minutes. Quit your jibber jabber. In fact me. In fact you. I will. But first, we've got to get our source on our sources. Alan Turing the Codebreaker who Saved Millions of Lives by Jack Copeland Alan Turing the Enigma by Andrew Hodges the Sherborne the Making of Alan Turing by Rachel Hasal Professor Alan Turing Decoded by Dermot Turing what Did Turing do for Us by James Grime the Professor's Book Turing's Treatise on the Enigma by Alan M. Turing. Alan Turing His Work and Impact by Jan van Leeuwen and Barry Cooper Alan M. Turing by Sarah Stoney Turing. And let's not forget our old favourites, history.com and biography.com. are you sitting comfortably? Good. Then let's begin from day one of the podcast. I mean, I've been doing it for, like, almost five years now, but from day one, I have always wanted to talk about Alan Turing. He has been on my, like list. He was in the top 10 when I first started writing it out, and I think he may have been the only man on that list initially. And I know I don't talk about men very often in this podcast, especially not in a Favourable light, but. Because why would I? But Alan Turing, he was someone I've wanted to talk about for so long, but I always felt like I was never going to be able to do him justice. And this stems from. And you're going to think this is ridiculous, but my mom and I were watching the Olympics opening ceremony, right? And it was in the uk. They had. They had, you know, they were doing the big thing in London and what's his name? Danny, was it? Danny Boyle had directed the. The stage production of everything that was going on, whoever it was. And, you know, Darcy Bustle had come out of retirement. She was a ballerina and she would have been in extreme pain performing, but she came out of it to do it for the Olympics, for doing the opening ceremony. I love Darcy Bustle, so that's why I felt the need to mention her. But they had this, like, moment where, you know, because they were talking about, like, icons and history and all this stuff, and they had, like, space girls come out. They had Darcy Bustle come out, and they had this, like, segment where they had a moment for Alan Turing. And I'm getting. I'm welling up now. And my mum, she's not an emotional person. She's a very private person. So she's gonna be like, you're talking about me on that podcast again? So are you talking about me on that podcast again? Because my mum sounds like Kathleen Tullner but Scottish, and she's like, are you talking about me again? And she starts getting emotional. Like, she starts feeling human feelings, and she's watching this piece on Alan Turing and she's just, like, welling up. She's getting really upset about it, and she's talking about, you know, how they were so cruel to him in life and how he never got the respect he deserved at the time. See, now I'm getting emotional about it because he is, or was, the linchpin, you know, he helped, you know, end the war. Like, no matter what way you put it, he was part of that team. He was. He was that, like, again, the linchpin. He was that important point. And he was, I don't know, the quarterback. I don't. I don't know the sports, but, like, he was, like, a very important member of the team. And because, you know, the war isn't won by one person alone, it's won by all of the people involved. And he just. He never got the respect he deserved because he was a homosexual man. And that's the be all and end all of the situation. And, you know, there's always, like, didn't he have Asperger's? Which is a redundant term, but, like. Like, was he autistic? Was he this? Maybe. Maybe he was maybe autistic. Definitely a homosexual. And that's where, like, things just didn't work out for him. And I was always so worried to talk about him because I always felt like I would bugger up his story. But without further ado, let me tell you about Alan Turing. This Pride month, Alan Matheson Turing was born, as many people are, he was born on 23rd June, 1912 in Maida Vale in London, England, to Julius Matherson Turing and to Ethel Sarah Stoney Turing. Now, she never really went by Ethel, she went by Sarah. And I'm just gonna stick with that because, you know, if you don't want to be called Ethel, then you don't want to be called Ethel. So he was the second of two children. His brother, John Ferrier Turing, was A wee bit older. Now, the reason the boys are in England, the reason that Alan is actually born in England is because his parents wanted their children to be raised in England instead of India. Because Julius, he was in the Indian Civil Service, effectively, he was like a member of the British army, but in India, and he was on leave so that Alan could be born, right? So he's all part of the British Raj. So at that time, I think it was the Madras Presidency that was going on. So, you know, colonialism, because that's a thing. Now, here's. Here's a fun fact. His dad, so Alan Turing's paternal grandfather, he was a reverend, so he was Reverend Turing. And so their family, they're like, mainly like Scottish merchants. So they're all like, like, traders and, And. And businessmen, and they're, like, based in the Netherlands, but they're, like, Scottish. Because here's the thing, what I've noticed actually, is Friesian. So, like, where the black and white cows come from, like, like Friesland, the. The Friesian language is very similar in ways, in the pronunciation to, like, old Scots. Like, it's a very interesting, like, linkage there. Anyway, on his maternal side, like Ethel Sara Stoney, like, her family, like, her dad was an engineer and, like, chief engineer on the Madras Railway. And they're all, like, Anglo Irish, so they're basically Protestant Irish people who are now in, basically wreaking the rewards of the colonialism that overtook their own country. So they're, like, from Tipperary, because there's a long, long way to Tipperary, as we know. And also like Longford, which is a county that I keep forgetting exists, like Louth, like, I keep forgetting about Louth, but it's fine now. I think she actually lived in County Clare for a while. I don't know exactly where, but if. Here's the thing, Clare and Tipperary are really close. So if she was like Ballina Killaloe sort of in that area, it wouldn't be surprising if she was down that sort of part of the country, like, because those. Those share a border, you know. And like, so Julius and Sarah, they actually get married in Dublin in Ballsbridge, which is, like, now definitely, like a fancier place, like the RDS and everything is down that way. And there are some very fancy boutique hotels, which are lovely, by the way. I've stayed in a few of them because I like to save up my money and stay in very nice places and treat myself when I go places, because, like, if I can, sometimes I'll just, like, splurge and treat myself not that I've done that in a while, because I'm struggling. No, it's fine. People have it worse than me. But anyway, so Julius, he's a member of the Indian Civil Service. Colonialism and like, his grandfather, actually. So if we're going, like, up this patrilineal line, like, he'd been a member of the Bengal army, but basically, like, he was. Here's the thing, back in the day, parents weren't too keen about spending all that time with their kids, so they wanted their kids raised in Britain, but they didn't necessarily want to raise them themselves. So what happened was, because Julius is still very much, you know, a member of the Indian Civil Service, is that he has to go back to India. Like, he's like, his commission is still going, so he's going to go back. And so he does. And his wife follows him, because, of course she does. And so John and Alan, the brothers, they are left in the care of this retired army couple, which is, like. It just sounds like a really good idea for, like, a book or a stage show, like. And now they're staying with this retired army couple who, let's face it, would have been in the army during the Victorian era. Like, this is, like, logically, reasonably, chronologically, like, that's where this would have been. And so when Alan turing is about 6 years old, like, which is young, I think he starts school, like, four or five, and he's six, and people start noticing, hey, this boy's good with the maths. Nope, I'm wrong, it's six, because he starts school at six. So I was looking at the years and I'm like, huh, that math. Ain't math in for me? Yep, he's six when he starts school. And basically from the moment he starts school, his teachers are like, oh, this boy knows math. And so he's at St. Michael's in St. Leonard's on Sea. And so he's there for, like, three years. And the headmistress, she's like, this boy has such a brain on him. Like, she's like, this boy is smart. Everybody look at how smart this boy is. So he's there and then after this, he moves to Hazlehurst Preparatory School. Preparatory School. I can't say words sometimes. And so it's this, like, little school in this village in East Sussex. And then when he's 13, he goes to the Sherborne School, which is a boarding school in Dorset. So him and his brother both go there and then. Yeah, so here's the thing, right? So his parents, they're away in India. They come back every now and again. And for the most part the kids are either in these, like boarding schools or they're staying with this retired army couple. But then on like school holidays, like the summertime, they would spend that with their parents. Now I think it's like 1926 when he's like 13 and he's starting school or secondary school really, like properly that older school age. And it's not secondary school. Yeah, it's like that. Yeah. You know what I mean? Anyway, but for like college. Yeah. So he's, he starts this boarding school and he's at West Courthouse. So he is at West Courthouse at the Sherborne School. And the first day of term happened to coincide with the 1926 General Strike, which meant that he couldn't like travel. So like he, he almost didn't make his first day of school. So because this strike is on and he's so determined to get to school that he cycles 60 miles, which is 97 kilometers for those of you who use the metric system. And he just cycles at 16 years old from Southampton to Sherborne. Now he does, he does stop. Like he stays at an inn overnight like a weary traveler on the road, which is technically what he is, but he just stays in an inn and then continues on his merry way. Now it's the year after this that his parents actually buy a house in Guildford. Oh my sweet Christ. I just like aged him up by three years. He was 13 to secondary school. Why did I call him 16? It's because of 1926. It buggered up my brain. He was 13. He was 13 and he cycled 60 miles on his own. He was 13 and he traveled 60 miles unaccompanied. Okay. No, no, no, my boy's 11. I mean, I've seen him like cycle six miles on his own and then come back dripping in sweat. But like, he'll, he'll go, you know, but like. Yeah, yeah, no, no, 13 is too. No, it's too young. I'm sorry, Please don't, please don't cycle for 60 miles unaccompanied 13 year olds. Unless, like you really have to. Unless it's like a life or death situation, in which case cycle, cycle little children like E.T. you know, not that E.T. was actually doing the, the cycling. That's not the point. Don't mind this 13 year old staying at this inn unaccompanied. What? What? Anyway, Sorry. But also. What? Sorry. Anyway, at school he did well with maths. And sciences and also running. Now, he didn't have a lot of male friends, specifically because it's. Boys were at school, obviously, but he didn't have a lot of friends. He didn't really vibe with other people much. But yes, he was at this boarding school then. And I love the fact that none of his parents thought, maybe I'll drive him, maybe I'll get someone to drive him to school. No, he just. Anyway, sorry, I'm really stuck on this and it bothers me so much. Nobody thought, let's get this boy to school anyway. I can't believe I'm getting so mad about this. This is such a thing to get riled up on. But yes, so at school he's like, super into, like, maths and science and things like that, but he's not really into, you know, Latin and mythology and, you know, those kind of things, sort of the classics. And so he's not really into, like, Greek and Roman literature and all that kind of stuff, especially if it's in the original translation and he's not, like, into it and he's not like, super great at it. And it gets to the point that his headmaster ends up writing to his parents, like, please do something with this boy. Basically, he's like, he's. He's gonna fall between two stools, effectively. They're like, either, you know, send him away somewhere where he can focus specifically on science and maths, right? Do this because if he stays here, he needs to focus on classics and, like, become good at that shit. Like, that's basically it, right? And you know how there is this whole thing about how gays can't do math and, like, bisexual women mathematics? No, sorry, it's not a thing. That math ain't mathing. And. But yeah, Alan Turing is like, no, no, no, no, no. The gays can math now. Excuse me. So he just starts, like, doing complicated, like, math equations. Like, he's never done, like, basic, like, calculus and stuff. But the boy, he knows his maths. Like, he can just understand it. Like, he gets it. The interesting thing about maths, though, is it's something that you need to, like, consistently do and think about. And I was thinking about this concept about him maybe being autistic or neurodivergent of some flavor. And, like, you focus on things and the reason you remember things is because you replay them in your head, which is why negative bias is such a thing, because we replay memories and feelings over and over our head and we tend to focus on the worst things because we try to rethink it and relive it anyway. So, like, you're doing things over and over your head. And maths, I find maths itself is repetition. It's understanding formulas and things because it's. It's repetition, it's memory, like most things are really. But I think it's one of those things you have to actively do. Maybe it's just my little idiot math brain, but he's just, like, in it. Like, he gets it. Like, it's always, like, on the cusp for him. It's just. I don't want to say easy, because I don't think anything was easy. He just had a talent for it and he had a skill, and he just leaned more in that direction. And because he was interested in it, it was easier for him to learn. Well, being at school, it wasn't just maths and running. He did running. The boy liked to run, which is not a team sport, as you may have guessed. And so he is running. So he's basically isolated himself in a completely different way. Like, he's not into the classics like the other boys are. He's like. Like a little nerd, a little gay nerd. He's a gerd, if you will. Not gerd, which is the thing that pregnant women get, which is. It's not indigestion. It's like acid reflux. Anyway, that's not the point. He's a little gay nerd and he likes to run. He's a fast gay nerd and he falls in love. He falls in love with Christopher Morcom, who I think is like. I can't remember if he's in the year above or the year below. But, like, they're. They're not the same age, but Christopher, you know, they're in different houses and. But they just sort of come across each other. And it is Alan Turing's first love. They're his first love. And this relationship, it is cut short because in the 1930s, Christopher passes away from bovine tuberculosis. And if you're thinking that's the second time you've mentioned cows in this episode, you are correct. But bovine tuberculosis was a type of tuberculosis that you got from drinking cow's milk. Infected cow's milk, which is why you're supposed to pasteurize it. Sorry, when we're gonna drink raw milk, you're gonna get bovine tuberculosis. Okay, lads, can we not? Anyway, why. So, yeah, in 1930, Christopher Morcom passes away from bovine tuberculosis, which, again, it's just a mark of tragedy in Alan Turing's life. Now, I know they say that maybe he's autistic because he didn't have these sort of social connections. Yeah, maybe he didn't have those social connections because he wasn't raised by his family and he was consistently being sent off to other places. I'm just. I'm just given an option, floating the idea. And this really hit Alan Turing hard. Like, it really broke his heart. And he basically used his grief as fuel to work harder at maths and science, because that's what he and Christopher actually bonded over. And Christopher Morcom introduced him to astronomy and so not astrology. Like, he wasn't like Pisces Rising. No, he was just, like, into astronomy and planets and. And all that jazz. And so he started focusing on that because it was a connection they had. And he even became close to Christopher Morcom's mum. And every year, like, round about Christopher's birthday, he. He would write letters. It's a wonderful thing, letters. He would write letters to Christopher's mum. And in one of them, he even said, I am sure I could not have found anywhere another companion so brilliant and yet so charming and unconceited. I regarded my interest in my work and in such things as astronomy, to which he introduced me as something to be shared with him. And I think he felt a little the same about me. I know I must put as much energy, if not as much interest into my work as if he were alive, because this is what he would like me to do. But, like, that's so sweet. He's finding a way to channel that grief and appreciate the person from when they were alive. And there's just something so beautiful about that. Ugh. Human emotions. I don't like them. So, anyway, he ends up going to King's College to not a scholarship, because his family had enough money to pay for him to go there. I'm gonna get a scholarship to King's College. I don't mean to brag, but, damn, I am as an astonish. That's a really bad Lin Manuel Miranda impression. Even though, like, Alexander Hamilton, he's Scottish, right? He's Scottish descent. Like, his dad's Scottish. His name is Alexander Hamilton. Like, that is a very Scottish name. And. And he's like, in the island of Nevis. He's from Nevis, right? Like in the West Indies. But, like, yeah, so I, I, whenever I think of Hamilton, I like to think of him as having a Scottish accent. My name is Alexander Hamilton. My name is Alexander Hamilton. And there's a million Things I haven't done. But just you wait. Just you wait. So, yes, he goes to King's College to study mathematics and then he goes to Princeton. Yes, that Princeton to get a PhD. And so he goes across the pond and then he comes back and so September 1938, Turing starts working part time at the government code in Cypher School, which is basically a code breaking organization. Like in Britain, a British code breaking organization, if you will, which I don't know if you know, dates, but this is like just before the second world War breaks out, which seems like a really good time to go for a break.