Bank of England unveils new banknote in recognition of WW2 code-breaker Turing

The Bank of England announced the concept for a new banknote honoring mathematician Alan Turing, who is thought to have committed suicide after being accused of having sex with a male partner. Turing helped Britain win World War Two with his code-breaking skills.

Turing’s portrait, mathematical formulae from a 1936 paper he wrote that laid the foundations for modern computer science, and technical sketches for the machines used to decode the Enigma code are all featured on the new 50-pound ($69) note.

The polymer note also includes a quote by Turing about the emergence of artificial intelligence: “This is just a foretaste of what is to come, and only the shadow of what will be.”

Turing built on the work of Polish mathematicians who had figured out how to decipher Germany’s Enigma code, finding a way to crack Nazi’s increased security code.

The story was told in the 2014 film The Imitation Game, in which actor Benedict Cumberbatch played Turing.

Turing’s work resulted in the decryption of German naval messages, which aided allied convoys in avoiding U-boats during the Battle of the Atlantic.