10 Horrific Punishments From History That Could Be In Game Of Thrones

7. Castrated By England's Government In 1952, After Defeating Nazis - Alan Turing

Thankfully most people today will know Alan Turing for his history-altering work on the Enigma machine. Not only was he instrumental in helping the Allied forces to defeat the Nazis in World War Two, he was also one of the founders of computer science, a philosopher and an athlete. In 1952 it transpired that Turing was involved in a homosexual relationship, which was illegal at the time. Found guilty of gross indecency, Turing was fired from his job as a cryptographic consultant and banned from entering the US. Instead of a prison sentence, he was chemically castrated with synthetic oestrogen injections which also caused gynaecomastia. Two years later he died at his home from cyanide poisoning, although it is not clear whether this was suicide or accidental. His biographers have theorized that he ate an apple dipped in poison in a reenactment of his favourite scene from Snow White. Either way, this genius who had helped his country to defeat the Nazis was rewarded with pain, prejudice and humiliation. In 2013, Alan Turing was finally granted an official posthumous pardon from Queen Elizabeth II.