Happy Ada Lovelace Day!

Tuesday, October 14 2024 is Ada Lovelace Day – a time to remember the mathematical and computer programming prowess of Ada Lovelace, before computers had even been invented. It’s also a day to recognise the contribution of women in the STEM sectors of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

So who was Ada Lovelace?

Born in 1815, at a time when most girls receiving formal education were excluded from maths and science, Ada’s mother insisted she be schooled in those subjects. At age 17 she met mathematician Charles Babbage, who had invented the mechanical calculator.

Babbage commissioned Lovelace to translate an article about his calculator. Ada took her commission a stage further and developed a theory that the calculator could translate text, music, and images into digital format.

She also created an algorithm showing how the mechanical calculator / analytical engine could create Bernoulli numbers.

Her theory was published in 1843, but it was only a century later that her work was recognised as the first computer algorithm — and Lovelace became known as the world’s first computer programmer.

We stand on the shoulders of giants.