Rare papers of World War II hero Alan Turing sell for record price
A collection of rare scientific papers written by mathematician, computer scientist and Second World War codebreaker Alan Turing has sold for a record £465,400 (€544,400) at auction in Lichfield, UK.
The documents were discovered in a loft at a property in Bermondsey, London, and were almost destroyed during a house clearance.
Some of the rare items that went under the hammer included a personal signed copy of Turing's 1938 PhD dissertation, "Systems of Logic Based on Ordinals", which sold for £110,500 (€129,200), as well as his paper "On Computable Numbers" - also known as "Turing's Proof" - which introduced the world to the idea of a universal computing machine in 1936.
The collection also included "The Chemical Basis Of Morphogenesis", which sold for £19,500 (€22,800). Dating from 1952, it is Turing's last major published work.
The treasure trove of Turing material had originally been gifted to Turing's friend and fellow mathematician, Norman Routledge, by Turing's mother, Ethel. Routledge kept the papers and, on his death, they were taken to his sister's loft.
Hansons Auctioneers had estimated the lots would sell for £40,000 to £60,000 each, but "On Computable Numbers" alone sold for £208,000 (€243,000).
Jim Spencer, director of Rare Book Auctions, said of the papers, which were brought to experts in a carrier bag: 'Nothing could've prepared me for what I found in that carrier bag. These plain, academic papers were absolutely electrifying – they are the very bedrock of modern computing. Handling them was both humbling and haunting.'
He continued: 'Knowing the tragic arc of Turing's life only adds to the emotional weight. He was treated appallingly despite all he had done and yet, here, his ideas remain alive, relevant, and revolutionary.'
Spencer added: 'This was the most important archive I've ever handled. The papers came within inches of being destroyed, and instead they've captured the world's imagination. It's a once-in-a-lifetime discovery – not just for collectors, but for the sake of preserving the story of one of the greatest minds in history.'
Turing is widely regarded as the father of computing science and played a central role in breaking the Enigma code, used by the Nazis during the Second World War.
After the war, he was convicted of being involved in homosexual acts and accepted a procedure commonly referred to as chemical castration as an alternative to prison. Truing took his own life on 7 June 1954, aged 41.
Following a campaign in 2009, British prime minister Gordon Brown made an official public apology for the 'appalling way' Turing was treated after the war. Queen Elizabeth II granted a pardon in 2013.
The "Alan Turing law' is a term used informally to refer to a 2017 law in the UK that retroactively pardoned men convicted under historical legislation that outlawed homosexual acts.
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Euronews
4 days ago
- Euronews
Rare papers of World War II hero Alan Turing sell for record price
A collection of rare scientific papers written by mathematician, computer scientist and Second World War codebreaker Alan Turing has sold for a record £465,400 (€544,400) at auction in Lichfield, UK. The documents were discovered in a loft at a property in Bermondsey, London, and were almost destroyed during a house clearance. Some of the rare items that went under the hammer included a personal signed copy of Turing's 1938 PhD dissertation, "Systems of Logic Based on Ordinals", which sold for £110,500 (€129,200), as well as his paper "On Computable Numbers" - also known as "Turing's Proof" - which introduced the world to the idea of a universal computing machine in 1936. The collection also included "The Chemical Basis Of Morphogenesis", which sold for £19,500 (€22,800). Dating from 1952, it is Turing's last major published work. The treasure trove of Turing material had originally been gifted to Turing's friend and fellow mathematician, Norman Routledge, by Turing's mother, Ethel. Routledge kept the papers and, on his death, they were taken to his sister's loft. Hansons Auctioneers had estimated the lots would sell for £40,000 to £60,000 each, but "On Computable Numbers" alone sold for £208,000 (€243,000). Jim Spencer, director of Rare Book Auctions, said of the papers, which were brought to experts in a carrier bag: 'Nothing could've prepared me for what I found in that carrier bag. These plain, academic papers were absolutely electrifying – they are the very bedrock of modern computing. Handling them was both humbling and haunting.' He continued: 'Knowing the tragic arc of Turing's life only adds to the emotional weight. He was treated appallingly despite all he had done and yet, here, his ideas remain alive, relevant, and revolutionary.' Spencer added: 'This was the most important archive I've ever handled. The papers came within inches of being destroyed, and instead they've captured the world's imagination. It's a once-in-a-lifetime discovery – not just for collectors, but for the sake of preserving the story of one of the greatest minds in history.' Turing is widely regarded as the father of computing science and played a central role in breaking the Enigma code, used by the Nazis during the Second World War. After the war, he was convicted of being involved in homosexual acts and accepted a procedure commonly referred to as chemical castration as an alternative to prison. Truing took his own life on 7 June 1954, aged 41. Following a campaign in 2009, British prime minister Gordon Brown made an official public apology for the 'appalling way' Turing was treated after the war. Queen Elizabeth II granted a pardon in 2013. The "Alan Turing law' is a term used informally to refer to a 2017 law in the UK that retroactively pardoned men convicted under historical legislation that outlawed homosexual acts.
Euronews
07-02-2025
- Euronews
The rare Stradivarius violin putting the spotlight on an unknown Polish composer
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An ambassador for Polish culture With this responsibility in hand, Wawrowski is bringing attention not only to his own musical talent and that of his students, but he's also bringing a wider audience to the compositions of Polish violinist Grażyna Bacewicz. "My dream is to record the complete violin works of Grażyna Bacewicz, the fantastic 20th century composer and violinist, who achieved great success both as a composer and a violinist, she was probably the first female Polish composer to achieve such success," says the violinist. Bacewicz herself once stood at the Chopin University of Music in Warsaw, teaching violin and composing some of her most well-known works. "My students also gladly play the works of Grażyna Bacewicz, which makes me very happy because what's important is that we pass this passion we have forward," says Wawrowski, emphasizing his delight in helping shine light on her work. Like Chopin, Bacewicz also had strong ties to France, where she studied for many years, including under the watchful eye of famous composer Nadia Boulanger, who was responsible for instructing a generation of talented musicians. "Her Seventh Violin Concerto, which I recorded not long ago, received Queen Elizabeth's award in Brussels, where it was also performed for the first time with the Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra," says Wawrowski, adding that her works are now also being performed in Germany and the United Kingdom. Bacewicz was not only known for her technical skill, but also for the emotional engagement she demanded in her works. For Wawrowski, the depth required by her music is perfectly matched by the expressive capabilities of the Stradivarius violin. 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Euronews
16-11-2024
- Euronews
Elon Musk could calm the AI arms race between the US and China, says AI expert
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And there, the whole framing is wrong because it's not actually an arms race, to build AGI first, it's just a suicide race. Max Tegmark Future of Life Institute The scientist's biggest fear is not generative AI, such as ChatGPT, but rather artificial general intelligence (AGI), a type of AI that matches or surpasses human cognitive capabilities, and that we could lose control of. 'Losing control of AGI is just like walking right off a cliff, in which case it's game over for humanity,' Tegmark said. 'I think it will make a big difference whether Trump will listen more to Elon [Musk] on this or more to the anti-regulation intentions,' he added. What is Artificial General Intelligence? AGI, seen as the 'holy grail' by tech companies, has been hyped up by Altman, among other tech figureheads trying to raise funding. For Altman, AGI is defined as a hypothetical form of machine intelligence that can solve any human task through methods not constrained to its training. Altman has said it can 'elevate humanity' and does not refer to machines taking over. The OpenAI CEO has said AGI could come as early as next year, while many others have predicted its arrival in the next decade. 'A lot of people latch onto the AGI brand now for hype and try to redefine it as being the thing that they're selling now, or that they're building now so they can raise money,' said Tegmark. He said the original AGI definition goes back to the 1950s, which defines it as AI that can do all human jobs, meaning AI could replace human workers and also develop and build the AGI machines themselves. 'You're not talking anymore just about a new technology like steam engines or the Internet. You're talking about a new species. That's why it's such a big deal,' Tegmark said. Machines taking control is the default outcome, according to a prediction in the 1950s by the computer scientist Alan Turing. Turing said at the time this outcome was far off and created a test set to show when the time was near, originally named the 'imitation game,' but now called the Turing Test. The test aims to identify whether a machine exhibits human-like intelligence by responding to a series of questions from a human. The human is unaware if the answers are provided by a machine or a human. According to some researchers, the test was passed last year. However, AGI does not exist right now and it is unclear when it will or even if it ever will, despite the corporate hype. An AI arms race As well as a corporate AI race there is also an AI arms race, according to Tegmark. 'There's an arms race within the United States between different companies and the only way to stop that is, of course, to have national US safety standards,' he said. I'm actually quite optimistic we'll get [safety standards] globally. And then we enter a really wonderful phase of human history. Max Tegmark Future of Life Institute Trump has suggested that the US's lead in AI will be a focus for his government. 'We have to be at the forefront… We have to take the lead over China,' he said on the Impaulsive podcast in June. 'There's the geopolitical [AI] race. And there, the whole framing is wrong because it's not actually an arms race, to build AGI first, it's just a suicide race,' Tegmark said. 'There's nobody to control this stuff'. 'If you manage to go extinct who cares if you're Chinese, French, or American,' he added. Getting regulations right for each country is key, he said, rather than countries having to make agreements with each other. 'My vision for success here is much simpler. It's that the Chinese decides to put national safety standards in China to prevent their Chinese companies from causing harm. We Americans simply put national safety standards in the US not to appease China, but simply for their own purposes,' Tegmark said. Once that theoretically happens, the US and China will have the incentive to push their global allies to join them. 'I'm actually quite optimistic we'll get [safety standards] globally. And then we enter a really wonderful phase of human history where we have this age of incredible abundance and prosperity where we have all this amazing technology,' he said. 'Companies will be able to innovate to help cure cancer, eliminate poverty and unnecessary road deaths and all the wonderful things that we hear people, entrepreneurs talk about,' he said.
