Ada Lovelace was the World's First Computer Programmer

By Laura Duncan on 03/29/2011 @ 03:58 PM

Did you know? Ada King, the Countess of Lovelace, was the world’s first computer programmer.

Ada was born in England on December 10, 1815, the daughter of the poet Lord Byron and his wife Annabella. Her parents divorced shortly after she was born and Ada never established a relationship with her father. Ada was part of England’s high society, and befriended many intellectuals of her time, including Charles Dickens and Michael Faraday. When she was 17 years-old, she met Charles Babbage, who was known for his work on calculating machines, and they quickly became close friends.

In 1834, Charles Babbage began developing a new machine called the Analytical Engine. Ada was very interested in his work and translated a French memoir describing the engine into English. When he found out that Ada was translating the memoir, Babbage suggested that she add her own comments to this work, since she was so familiar with the subject. Ada followed his suggestions in Notes that far extended the original length of the publication. In these Notes, she elaborated the world’s first computer program, and wrote about the potential for what we now know as a general-purpose computer. Ada died at the young age of 36, and although she never had the opportunity to carry out her vision, she has become famous for being the world’s first computer programmer.

The field of computer programming is often characterized as male-dominated, and for this reason it’s important to remember Ada and her contribution to Babbage’s work. Her achievements are celebrated every year on Ada Lovelace day; and she was also honored by the Department of Defense, which named its computer language, Ada, after her.

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