Ada Lovelace (1815 – 1852), daughter of Lord Byron, is increasingly and widely recognised as the first person to see that a calculating machine – such as Charles Baggage’s Analytical Engine – could be programmed to solve problems of any complexity. She wrote, for instance, that ‘the Engine might compose elaborate and scientific pieces of music on any degree of complexity or extent.’ She published the first algorithm for the Engine and is therefore seen as one of the world’s first computer programmers.
Without her, the world as we know it today – the world of ubiquitous computing, Internet of Things, gaming, space exploration – and cyber crime – might not exist.
International Woman’s Day is an appropriate time to remember her enormous contribution to the advancement of humanity, and to encourage more women to follow her lead.
