10. Turing and the U-boat Codes (1940s)
During World War II, Alan Turing and his team at Bletchley Park worked tirelessly to decrypt the German Enigma machine, which encrypted military communications. Their breakthrough in breaking the U-boat Enigma allowed the Allies to anticipate and counteract U-boat attacks, safeguarding vital supply lines across the Atlantic. This success is credited with shortening the war by up to two years and saving countless lives (bbc.com).
