1951: The Year of the Machines

The 1951 Turing Test was held on a drizzly London day in a cramped, smoke-filled room. A panel of esteemed judges, including Alan Turing, gathered to evaluate the latest and greatest in machine intelligence.

Machine: 1951-TM-1000 (a hulking mass of vacuum tubes and relays)

Result: PASSED

The judges were thoroughly impressed by 1951-TM-1000's ability to engage in witty repartee and recite the entire script of "Hamlet" from memory. Its performance was so convincing that some even wondered if they'd been talking to a human all along.

View more of our esteemed judges' remarks: