The computing legacy of Alan M. Turing (1912–1954)

Alan Turing is considered one among the 20th century's 100 greatest minds. The invention of storedprogram universal computer by him, is arguably the most influential mathematical abstraction of the 20th century that changed the whole world for good. While this invention became one of the cornerstones of computer science, Turing was best known during his time as the genius who broke some of Germany's most secret codes during the war of 1939-45. His inventions and discoveries covered a wide spectrum of areas like logic and computability, cryptology, computer architecture, artificial intelligence, digital forecast, chemical morphogenesis, algorithm randomness. While he was a theoretician's theoretician, he had an immense practical outlook with a deep understanding of computing, including its impact on science and society. In this article, some of his pioneering contributions shall be highlighted in an accessible way.