Alan Turing and the Apple

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Alan Turing (1912 - 1954) wsa an English mathematician. His work led to the modern computer age, and during WWII he was vital in cracking the German "Engma""code.

Before it's decriminalization in 1967, English law forbade acts of "gross indecency" between adult men. Rather than send Alan Turing to prison, he was made to endure a series of estrogen shots.

The effect was chemical castration. He went from a lean runner to a fat man. He grew breasts. He was labeled a security risk, a work risk, a travel risk. The coroner's report says he took several bites from an apple laced with cyanide, then lay down to sleep at age 42.

The 1938 Disney version of "Snow White and the Seven Dwarves" fascinated Alan Turing. He enjoyed chanting these lines by the evil Queen,

"Dip the apple in the brew,
Let the sleeping death seep through,
Look at the skin,
A symbol of what lies within,
Now turn red to tempt Snow White,
To make her hunger for a bite,
(It's not for you, it's for Snow White)
When she breaks the tender peel,
To taste the apple from my hand,
Her breath will still, her blood congeal,
Then I'll be the Fairest in the Land."

Some say the symbol of Apple Comouters,
the apple with a bite out of it,
is a nod to Alan Turing.