Ada Lovelace

In a world where the computer science field is dominated by men, isn't it ironic that the first programmer was indeed a woman? Despite the opportunities that were denied for most women of her time, Countess Ada Lovelace, a talented mathematician, created the world’s first machine algorithm in 1842. She was born to an exceptionally educated family, where her intellect was allowed to flourish. She studied philosophy, science, literature, and most unusual for a woman in her time: mathematics.

Being a highly intellectual mathematician, Ada Lovelace was interested in Charles Babbage’s Analytical Engine, a prototype of a digital computer. She realized that a computer could follow a sequence of simplistic instructions to create complex calculations. She also theorized that a program could also work with things other than numbers. However, before the prototype could be built, Ada Lovelace sadly died, and Charles Babbage was able to build only a small part of the Analytical Engine.

Nevertheless, Ada Lovelace’s contributions have been remembered, and the early programming language had been named Ada in recognition of her achievements. The second Tuesday in October had also become Ada Lovelace Day, a day where the contributions of women in the STEM field are honored.