Saved from the shredder, Alan Turing's papers sell for 627,000

Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. A trove of forgotten papers penned by famed World War II codebreaker Alan Turing has sold for the record-setting price of 627,000. But the June 17 auction almost never happened. At one point, the long-lost archival materials from the father of modern computer science were nearly pulverized by a paper shredder. Alan Turing was many things during his brief and ultimately tragic life: renowned mathematician, computer theorist, marathon runner, philosopher, and an invaluable codebreaker.