Throwback Thursday and This Day in History Sept. 4th

Throwback Thursday is taking a look back at this day in history, September 4th. Luckily it's mostly good news, though we will start off with one of our most enduring, and sadly criminal stories, the treatment of Alan Turing. Let's dive into it, shall we?

1939

The year was 1939, and on September 3rd, Britain had declared war on Germany. The following day, Alan Turing (23 June 1912 – 7 June 1954) signed up to serve alongside his fellow countrymen. He was basically the father of modern computing and artificial intelligence, having lent a hand in the development of theoretical computer science. Early concepts of algorithms and computation were formalized with his Turing Machine, the predecessor of today's home computer. He broke the Germans' Enigma Code, which led to the Allies defeating the Germans in WWII. After the war, he designed the ACE while working at the National Physical Laboratory. This was the first stored-program computer.

Despite his accomplishments, he was found guilty of "gross indecency" in 1952 for "homosexual acts," given that homosexuality was still illegal in England. Rather than serving prison time, Turing chose chemical castration instead. He would die of self-inflicted cyanide poisoning by biting into a tainted apple. It is this fact that many believe the famous Apple Computer's logo, that of a silhouette of an apple with one bite out of it, is an homage to Turing. He would posthumously receive a pardon by Queen Elizabeth in 2013. The "Alan Turing Law" is a term used for the 2017 law that retroactively pardoned men convicted of homosexuality under historical legislation.

1957

The Wolfenden Report is published in Britain, recommending that “homosexual behavior between consenting adults in private should no longer be a criminal offense" and sex acts between consenting adults aged 21 and older be decriminalized. It would take another ten years, in 1967, for some level of decriminalization to take place, though, and with limited status over their heterosexual counterparts. The age of consent was higher for gays; it only applied to England and Wales, and did not apply to the Armed Forces or the Merchant Navy. At the time, Lord Byers had these words of rather mixed blessing:

I believe that the present law is ill-conceived and unjust, and my sympathy – even though I abhor homosexual practices – goes out to this oppressed minority. I feel certain that reform along the lines of Wolfenden will not only give better protection to young people in the future, but may well reduce the number of people actually suffering from this problem….The passing of the Bill will enable the psychological and physiological sexual misfits to live in the way they choose without fear of prosecution or persecution.

Gee. Thanks?

2012

The Democratic Party is the first US political party to support same-sex marriage on a national scale when the subject is added to their Democratic National Convention platform.

2017

Canada grants asylum to 31 gay men from Chechnya through the Rainbow Railroad. 

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