It might come as a surprise to some to know that the first computer programmer that has paved the way for the evolution of laptops, computers and tablets was actually a female mathematician; Ada Lovelace. Today, Google celebrates her 197th birth anniversary with a special doodle that showcases Ada writing the pioneering computer program using a quill pen while she sits at a desk and the paper scroll containing her algorithm spins in the shape of the letters of the Google logo.
Ada King, the countess of Lovelace, was the daughter of the reputable poet Lord Byron. Her father was expecting her to be a “glorious” baby boy was thus somewhat disappointed, and her parents soon separated after her birth.
Ada, originally named Augusta, was raised by her aristocratic mother, who had set her mind on distancing her daughter from anything related to poetry and thus decided to educate her little one in mathematics from a very early age. Her mother hit the right note, for as it turns out, Lovelice had an incredible affinity to the subject, and while she was educated at home by tutors, her mathematical skills were further cultivated by Augustus De Morgan, the first professor of mathematics at the University of London, who helped her in advanced studies.
Her affiliation with Charles Babbage, founder of the computer, commenced when she translated an article by Italian mathematician and engineer Luigi Federico on Babbage’s proposed Analytical Engine. Yet, Ada being as enthusiastic as she was, she not only translated the work but added her own personal notes that were extensive; 3 times longer than the actual paper and are now recognized as containing the first computer algorithm. Charles was so impressed with Ada that he called her the “Enchantress of Numbers”.
Ada Lovelace passed away at an early age of 36 on November 27, 1852 due to uterine cancer.
Even though there has been some controversy over the extent of Lovelace’s contribution to the evolution of computing, the computer language Ada is named in honor and a medal is awarded in her name by the British Computer Society.