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National Museum of Nuclear Science & History

Movies Honor Scientists, Engineers, and Mathematicians

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Benedict Cumberbatch as Alan Turing

Two movies came out in 2014 highlighting the history of science and technology, "The Imitation Game" and "The Theory of Everything." "The Imitation Game" focuses on the role of genius mathematician Alan Turing in breaking the Enigma machine, which Nazi Germany used to encipher and decipher secret messages. Considered unbreakable, Turing and his team at Bletchley Park designed an early computer to break the code and decipher the Nazis' secret messages each day. The intelligence they gathered is considered to have helped shorten the war by two or more years.

The movie does a terrific job of highlighting the intense pressure the team was under to break Enigma. Being able to read Germany's codes would save the lives of Allied soldiers and civilians. 

The film packs an emotional punch by including real historical footage, including of Nazi bombings of London. "The Imitation Game" gives proper credit to the mathematicians, scientists, and engineers whose work was vital to the Allies' victory.  

"The Theory of Everything" tells the story of Stephen and Jane Hawking. When Stephen was diagnosed with ALS, the prognosis was that he had only 2 years to live. Fortunately, Stephen could continue his work despite his physical (but not mental) deterioration. The story of their life together is movingly told, but the most riveting scenes involve Stephen's presentation of his black hole theory and his visit to US after having attained rock star status with "A Brief History of Time." 

Two actors from WGN's "Manhattan" television show on the Manhattan Project play similar roles in "The Theory of Everything." Harry Lloyd plays a physicist in both, Adam Godley a doctor in both.

With the "Manhattan" television show, "The Imitation Game," and "The Theory of Everything," it has been a great year featuring the importance of scientists, engineers, and mathematicians. We hope this trend continues!