Monopoly Board to Honor Gay Codebreaker Alan Turing

The first special edition Monopoly board to honor a gay person is set to be released in the U.K. Codebreaker and mathematician Alan Turing -- whose World War II codebreaking algorithms helped pave the way for the modern computer and an Allied victory -- graces the special edition board game, produced by Winning Moves and U.K. code museum Bletchley Park.

Google is also a primary sponsor of the specialty set, purchasing the first 1,000 games and donating them to Bletchley Park to sell as a fund-raiser. The game is available for pre-order online, with delivery expected in November.

"This special set has been customized to feature locations and interests central to Turing's life, including never-before-published family photos," writes Lynette Webb on Google's Europe Blog. "With every roll of the dice, players follow in Alan's footsteps, from Warrington Crescent to Sherborne School, from Hut 8 to Kings College. And while Turing isn't (yet) on the PS10 note, rest assured he's on all the money in this set!"

Turing (1912-1954) was an influential British mathematician and cryptanalyst (codebreaker). While Turing worked for the British government in WWII breaking Nazi codes, he is most widely recognized as the father of computer science and artificial intelligence.

Turing was convicted of "gross indecency" in 1952 after admitting to a sexual relationship with a man. In lieu of a prison sentence, Turing accepted treatment with female hormones, known at the time as chemical castration. Turing died two years later, allegedly by suicide via cyanide poisoning. He was just 41 years old. In 2009, Prime Minister Gordon Brown issued an official public apology for "the appalling way [Turing] was treated."