Who Was Alan Turing?

🕐 3 min 45 sec 👦 Ages 6–8 🌍 English
Join Owlo and Koko as they explore the fascinating life of Alan Turing and the importance of code breaking in history!
Understand the basics of code breaking Learn about Alan Turing's contributions Discover the meaning of 'brilliant'
📖 Story Script
                    Koko:
                    Owlo, look at what I found today in the school playground! It's a secret note with strange symbols on it.
                
                    Owlo:
                    That's very interesting, Koko, let me take a look. This really looks like some kind of secret code.
                
                    Koko:
                    Yes, that's exactly what I thought it was! My friend Jasper and I sometimes send each other secret messages. But I don't really understand this particular code.
                
                    Owlo:
                    You know, code breaking has been very important in history. Shall we go to the library together? I want to show you something interesting.
                
                    Koko:
                    Wow, look at all these books about secrets and codes! What are we looking for, Owlo?
                
                    Owlo:
                    I want to tell you about a very special man. His name was Alan Turing, and he was a brilliant mathematician from England.
                
                    Koko:
                    What does brilliant mean, Owlo? Does that mean he was very smart?
                
                    Owlo:
                    Exactly right, Koko, that's what it means. Brilliant means super smart and very creative. Alan Turing lived about eighty years ago.
                
                    Koko:
                    What did he do with his life? Did he make puzzles like this one here?
                
                    Owlo:
                    He did something even more important than that. During World War Two, the enemies made secret codes. Alan Turing helped crack those codes.
                
                    Koko:
                    Wow, so he could read all their secret messages? Just like I try to read Jasper's codes?
                
                    Owlo:
                    Yes, but his codes were much harder to crack. The enemies used a special machine called Enigma. It made very many different codes.
                
                    Koko:
                    How did he crack such a difficult code then?
                
                    Owlo:
                    Alan Turing built a special machine that could think cleverly. That machine was called the Bombe, and it could find patterns in the codes.
                
                    Koko:
                    A machine that could actually think? That sounds like magic to me!
                
                    Owlo:
                    It wasn't magic, but it was very clever mathematics. Turing thought of ways that machines could solve problems.
                
                    Koko:
                    Do we use those kinds of machines now too?
                
                    Owlo:
                    Absolutely, we use them every day, Koko! Alan Turing is often called the father of the computer. Without his ideas, we wouldn't have computers now.
                
                    Koko:
                    Wow, that's amazing! So my tablet and mama's laptop exist because of him?
                
                    Owlo:
                    Indeed, that's right, Koko. He thought of how machines could follow instructions and solve problems. That's exactly what computers do every day.
                
                    Koko:
                    That's really cool, Owlo. Did he help many people by cracking those codes?
                
                    Owlo:
                    Yes, he helped very many people, Koko. Experts think his work may have made the war two years shorter. That saved very many lives.
                
                    Koko:
                    That makes him a real hero! Did he get a big party for that?
                
                    Owlo:
                    Sadly not right away, Koko. His work was secret for many years after the war. Only later did people show respect for what he did.
                
                    Koko:
                    That's so sad, Owlo. I think heroes should be celebrated right away.
                
                    Owlo:
                    You're completely right about that, Koko. Now we all know how important he was. There are even films made about him.
                
                    Koko:
                    Owlo, can I also learn about codes and computers? Maybe I can make something special later too!
                
                    Owlo:
                    Of course you can, Koko! Smart ideas and hard work can change the world. Just like Alan Turing did with his work.
                
                    Koko:
                    So Alan Turing was a super smart mathematician who cracked secret codes. He built special machines that could think and solve problems.
                
                    Koko:
                    Because of him, we now have computers and tablets today. He saved very many people during the war. I want to learn more about codes and computers!
                
                    Owlo:
                    That's a beautiful summary, Koko, well done. Maybe we can make a simple code together next week for you and Jasper.
                
                    Koko:
                    Yes, I would love that very much! And then I'll tell him about Alan Turing. Thank you so much, Owlo!